The One Where Everything Changes
by lizzytish-lover of everything8
Summary: Every story is allowed a few alterations as long as the end remains the same. What happens when one of those alterations turns out to be more important than expected? Alderaan is attacked 14 years ahead of schedule which sparks changes across time and brings together people who were supposed to never see each other again. AU-ish. Cross posted on AO3.
1. Alderaan

Disclaimed: I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters used in this work.

Part 1: The Cataclysm

Chapter 1: Alderaan

The young queen swept through the palace as the battle stormed around her. Overhead Imperial ships rained fire down on the innocents below, turning the sky almost black with smoke.

She rocked the whimpering child in her arms, desperately trying to keep her calm, but still moving as quickly as she could. The girl, barely five, was clinging to her mother's neck and stuffing her head against her chest. Unlike so many other children through the galaxy, this child had never seen war before today, had never heard the sounds of starfighters whipped over her head or bombs slamming to the ground.

The other people on their planet were unfamiliar with war as well. Alderaan itself had not seen a violent conflict in thousands of years, even though it had participated in aiding its allies and the Republic. It was a small, influential, and peaceful planet, known throughout the galaxy as a haven from violence, but now that was all gone.

"Bail!" The queen cried, finally coming the royal family's private hangar.

"Breha, you made it." Her husband said, relief evident in his voice. "Leia, princess, are you alright?"

The little girl was transferred smoothly into her father's arms, silent sobs shaking her tiny body.

"Is the ship ready?" Breha asked. "You don't have much time before they overcome the palace and your exit is blocked."

"I'm not leaving without you." Bail said firmly.

She shook her head just as stubbornly, "I am not leaving our people to die. I will not abandon them when I am needed the most."

"I will not leave you." He exclaimed, holding Leia a little tighter.

"Bail, Leia needs to disappear. If Vader finds her…" She shivered, unwilling to even consider the thought. "And she can't leave alone."

"She won't be." A woman appeared from within the ship.

"Fulcrum." Breha said, gazing at the Togruta with admiration. "You'll take Leia?"

She nodded, "I'll keep her safe as best I can."

"I only worry there isn't anywhere safe left in the galaxy." Breha said grimly.

"I know somewhere you can go, at least for now. I've already put the exact coordinates in the system." Bail supplied. "But the less we know, the better."

"Understood."

A"Quickly, we must say our goodbyes, Breha." Bail said, caressing his daughter's face in his hand. The little girl's face was red and coated with tears but they had stopped flowing for the moment.

Breha stepped forward and held her close. "Be strong, my darling. This journey will not be easy, but have faith that you will find your way."

Leia's expression remained blank as she stared into her mother's eyes. Breha peered back, trying to memorize every inch of her child's face.

"We are always with you, princess. You were our greatest blessing and our greatest hope. Now you must be that for Ashla. Be good for her, my dear. She will protect you." Bail managed to get out, though his voice was clouded with tears.

"We love you, dear one." Breha said finally, embracing Leia one last time.

The Togruta had stayed to the side as the family said their farewells but now was forced to step up as the fighters above shot another barrage of fire. "It's time."

"Go with Ashla now." Bail said gently.

Ashla took Leia's hand, fighting through the girl's confused resistance.

"No! Mamma, Papa!" She screamed, pulling away from her new guardian's grip.

The pair turned away, attempting to hide the anguish on their faces.

"Don't look back, don't look back…" Bail repeated, whether as a reminder to his wife or to himself, he did not know.

They turned and left their child in the arms of the one they knew would care for her as if she was her own and prayed over and over that they would see her again.

Even though they knew they probably never would.

Ahsoka finally wrestled Leia into the ship as her screaming subsided into muffled sobs. She wrapped her tightly into one of the passenger seats and took the helm herself.

"Get ready for take off, Artoo. This one is going to be a doozy."

The little astromech whistled in excitement. [I haven't been in a firefight like this in years.]

The Togruta smiled grimly. "Neither have I, Artoo, but this might be the most important flight we've ever taken, do you understand me?"

Artoo beeped apologetically, [I understand Snips. The princess is my charge just like her parents were. I will look after her for my pilot]

Fulcrum shook off the mention of the past, intent on focusing on the future. "Now princess, this is going to be a bumpy ride, but don't get scared. Just trust me. You okay back there?"

The girl was too shocked to do much of anything, just stared at the wall in terror.

"I'll take that as a no." She sighed

Dragging the ship through the royal family's secret access lands was a cakewalk, pulling it up into the atmosphere was less than easy. The storm of ships surrounding them was unlike anything she had ever seen, even in the Clone War. The only thing she could think comparing it too was the space battle during the Ryloth campaign, when it was a game of just shooting down enemy bombers at every turn.

But this was different. The meager Alderaanian military was designed for relief missions and small scale defense of the palace, not full scale war. There was barely any resistance to be seen except the royal guard battalion. Ahsoka knew that if Breha had called them in she was no longer pretending Alderaan was a loyal member of the Empire. Employing her protection forces meant that the Alderaanian government had officially declared war against the Galactic Empire and that Bail and Breha would only survive the conflict as prisoners of war.

The ship Bail had procurried for them was equipped with enough firepower to hold off Imperial defenses but not enough to make a difference in the battle. Not that there was any chance she would engage, not with her precious cargo.

Weaving through the TIE fighters destroying the innocents below, she felt something shift in the Force. She glanced down at the main landing pad that they were passing below and saw an Imperial shuttle with a group of stormtroopers disembarking. It couldn't be the Emperor, there was no way he would be brought into such active conflict, but it was someone important...and someone...dark.

The feeling in the Force was disconcerting. The closest she could compare the darkness to was Maul and Dooku, but so much less focused. Dooku's presence in the dark side was arrogant, selfish, and manipulative. Maul's was vengeful, greedy, and angry. This person was filled with the dark side, but it was less rage-filled, and more...sad and broken. Like there was no other options but this.

His familiarly within the Force was terrifying as well. She had not encountered this...sith before, but she knew him somehow. There was some just beyond her reach...just below the shell...if only she could…

A direct hit to the starboard side ripped her out of the involuntary mediation she had ended up in. A few shots to the TIE in front of her and she was on her way, cutting a path through the enemy to the upper atmosphere, the sith lord on the ground forgotten.

Ahsoka's heart immediately leapt the sight of the fleet of Imperial ships over the planet, but she stopped herself. They were still so similar to Republic ships, even though many of them had been replaced over the last five years. It was difficult to train herself to find concern at their appearance instead of joy.

She glanced back at Leia, still sitting quietly, but this time accompanied by a frazzled-looking protocol droid, if a droid can looked frazzled. He was muttering something about hating space travel which Ahsoka was pretty sure wasn't about to calm Leia's nerves. However, she needed to fly the ship and she needed Artoo to do it properly so Threepio was the best support Leia was going to get at the moment.

It had been so long since she flew a combat mission like this. Even though she had snapped at Artoo's excitement earlier, there _was_ a part of her that had missed the thrill of adventure. The last five years had been spent avoiding the Empire at all costs and painstakingly attempting to amass some sort of intelligence network to try to stop Palpatine. It had pretty much been five years of disappointment, from the moment she realized that there was no way she was going to get the Clone Troopers to abandon the Empire to today when one of the small rebellion's most trusted organizers had his cover blown and his home destroyed.

She allowed herself to sink into the familiarity of battle, imagining for a second that she wasn't a lone pilot in cloud of enemy fighters, just trying to survive, but that she was Commander in the Grand Army of the Republic, flying a relief mission, backed by squad of loyal friends, a fleet of Republic warships, and her master. Rex and Yularen were over comms, yelling about another one of Anakin's reckless plans, and Obi-wan was waiting impatiently on the surface for them to finally show up. There was as much of a chance of her death, even more since her Jedi fighter marked her as a priority target, but she knew that if she made it through this battle there was a bed, a relatively hot meal, and safe place to go back to.

Finally, she broke through the blockade, after dodging waves blaster fire and some fancy flying that would make Anakin Skywalker jealous. Artoo squealed in joy and she smiled to herself as she set the NAV computer to the coordinates Bail left.

[Where to now, Snips?] He asked.

"Ummm…" Ahsoka glanced at the console. "Tatooine? Why would he want us to go to that hellhole? Ugh, nevermind." She set the ship to autopilot and got to her feet.

Leia was rocking back and forth now, trying to catch her breath.

"Are you alright, little one?" She crouched in front of her.

Leia sniffled but nodded.

"That was a lot at once, wasn't it?" Ahsoka asked gently.

She nodded again, a silent tear rolling down her cheek.

"I'm Ahsoka, but you can call me Ashla. I'm friends with your parents, well, your father mostly, but I liked your mother very much."

"Are Mamma and Papa dead?" She was so quiet Ahsoka could barely hear her.

Ahsoka hesitated, "I'm not sure, Leia. They might be." Leia's face turned suddenly and Ahsoka swiftly moved into the seat next to her, scooping Leia's hands into her own. "But we mustn't give up hope. And I know that if they are alive, they will do anything to see you again. But…" She paused, not totally sure how to continue. She knew what a Jedi would say if they were in her position, but she was no Jedi. "No matter what they are with you. In here." She patted the space above Leia's heart.

The little girl looked up and met her eyes. "You're going to take care of me now?" She said quietly.

Ahsoka smiled, "Of course."

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"Somewhere your father said was safe," She snorted and said under her breath, "I can't imagine why but…"

"Have you been there?" Leia had started to pull her hair out of the fancy braids Breha had done.

"Once, a very long time ago, when I was young. I didn't like it very much. It's one big desert, covered in sand and very little water."

Leia wrinkled her nose. "I don't like sand. It's the worst thing about going to the beach."

"I agree," Ahsoka chuckled, "Now, Leia, there's a few things I need you to understand. When we get there things will be different from what you know, not just the planet, but the way of life too, do you understand?"

She nodded confidently, "I've been learning all about different cultures in my lessons."

"Well, this place...Tatooine is probably different from even those cultures you've learned about. You mustn't ever run off and your must make sure I am with you wherever we go. When we're there, your name is going to be Leia Naberrie, not Leia Organa." Naberrie, her birth mother's name, the name Bail and Breha had long decided would be her cover in a situation just like this. "Can you repeat it for me?"

"Leia Naberrie." She tried it out. "Why can't I keep my name?"

Ahsoka pursed her lips. This was a difficult conversation to have with anyone, let alone a young child. "Because there may be people looking for us, alright Leia? Your parents are very important people and the bad guys may want to use you to hurt them."

"The bad guys...you mean the Empire?"

Her breath caught, "Your not wrong, but you can't ever say that, do you understand me, Leia. The rest of the galaxy is not like your home, there are bad people that would use that against you. You aren't...you aren't a princess anymore, munchkin, your...just Leia."

"Just Leia." She repeated in awe. "What about you? Who are you going to be?"

"Clever girl, that was exactly what I was going to talk about next. My name is Ashla Tano…"

* * *

"My name is Leia Naberrie, this is my guardian Ashla Tano. My parents were killed in the crossfire near the end of the war. Ashla was my father's friend and she took me in when I was a baby. She's from Shili and I'm from Chandrila, but she met my father when they were both working as freelance pilots on Corellia. I've lived with her ever since, mostly on Chandrila, but all over really. We came to Tatooine looking for a new life after the Empire tightened trade regulations. She heard there might be some business in the outer rim for freighter pilots."

Leia repeated her speech for the seventh time as they walked.

"How did your parents die?" Ahsoka asked.

"We don't know for sure, but we think their transport was shot down in the Battle of Coruscant."

Ahsoka smiled sadly down at her. "Good job, little one."

Leia's face was blank. "Mamma says lying is bad."

"She's right, but sometimes lying is the only thing that will help you survive."

Their cover story had carefully been chosen from fact and fiction to make something believable for both them and the rest of the world. Leia had visited Chandrila enough to be able to answer questions and Shili was the logical cover story for a Togruta. Leia had no idea how much of her story was accurate to her life, or could have been. Her birth parents had been killed in the crossfires of the Clone War and Ahsoka had known her father first. She also expected that if Ahsoka had been there at the end of the war she would have become Leia' sole guardian and not the Organa's.

"Oh, Miss Tano! Are you sure you know where we're going? We've been walking for hours and the sand is jamming my joints. Not to mention my power stores are completely depleted. Why in the Maker's name have you brought us to such a desolate world!" Threepio droned on.

"I've already told you, Threepio. Bail was very specific in his coordinates. We couldn't land that close because there wasn't anywhere clear, but we're almost there."

"This planet is no place for a child, Miss Tano, I only think of the princess's-"

"Don't call me that, Threepio. I'm just Leia now, remember."

Leia seemed secure in that fact, but Ahsoka detected a trace amount of sorrow in her words through the Force, beyond her overwhelming grief from the loss of her parents. She may appear well-adjusted, but Ahsoka knew that this was all an act to seem grown-up.

They were moving slower now, as Leia was alternating between perching on top of Artoo, being carried in Ahsoka's arms, and walking herself.

"Nearly there, nearly there…" Threepio repeated to himself.

Artoo made a nose that could only be construed as a groan. [Couldn't we have left him on Alderaan?]

Ahsoka almost agree with him.

The Jundland Wastelands that they were walking through had somewhat of a reputation about them, at least that's what the people at the spaceport they had landed in had said. The few people she had mentioned her travel plans to been concerned that she intended to bring a child into the Wastelands, but she didn't think they cared enough to do anything about it.

Ahsoka almost hadn't, if she was being honest with herself. She almost left Leia with Artoo and Threepio in town with the ship, but then remembered her promise. If Leia wasn't allowed to leave her sight, then she shouldn't be allowed to leave Leia's sight. And all of them staying in town wouldn't have done anyone any good. There was no one here for them except whoever Bail had left the coordinate for and those sent them into the middle of nowhere. Whoever this hermit was, they better be worth it.

"Arrrgghhhhh!" The screech from somewhere in the rocks, sent Ahsoka to high alert. She pulled Leia behind her and drew her blaster from her hip. Her lightsabers were still tucked in the rucksack on her back as she wouldn't give them away unless it was absolutely necessary.

The Tusken Raiders emerged from the cliffs beside them, bow staffs at the ready and teeth bared. The thought of drawing her lightsabers crossed her mind, but absolutely did not know enough about these monster's loyalties to expose them like that.

She did know that creatures like this would not be reasoned with and immediately started blasting. Leia screamed as one got close to her, but Artoo zapped him away. Artoo had unleashed every hidden trick that Anakin had added to him over the years, brandishing them wildly. When Anakin was bored he would fiddle with Artoo's attachments until he was possibly the most well-equipped astromechs in the galaxy.

Ahsoka shot at anything that came near them but it didn't stop them. They seemed to be coming out of nowhere. Threepio was fretting loudly, shouting his fear obnoxiously.

It must have been her imagination, but she thought she heard the telltale sound of a lightsaber activating over her somewhere behind her.

And as quickly as the Tusken Raiders had descended, they dissipated, clearing the area with cries over warning to their brethren.

Ahsoka turned to see a cloaked figure brandishing a blue lightsaber. For a moment her mind jumped to a wonderful conclusion. Anakin! Tatooine was where he was from originally, it made sense for him to hide here. And of course Tatooine would be safe for Leia. Anakin would never let anything happen to his daughter here.

But then rational thought take over. Anakin would never let anything happen to his daughter because he would have raised her himself if he could. And there was no way he wouldn't be helping her and Bail organize the rebellion.

Her sudden elation turned to realization then to disappointment and to joy again as she reached out into the Force tentatively. The presence before her was certainly familiar, but it was not Anakin Skywalker.

"Obi-wan."

"Ahsoka," The Jedi pushed the hood of his cloak down. He somehow looked much older than he had only five years ago, either from the wear of the desert or from the overwhelming depression of the Clone War and its aftermath. She suspected for the latter than the former. "What are you doing here?"

"I-Bail sent me." She glanced around her feet only for terror to rock her for a moment when she didn't find Leia by her side. "Leia!"

Obi-wan's eyes widened immediately. So he knew who she was. Interesting.

Leia suddenly emerged from her hiding place behind Artoo. "Ashla!" She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the Togruta's legs. "What were those things?"

"Sand People, child." Answered Obi-wan.

Leia regarded him cautiously.

"It's alright, Leia. He's a friend. Actually, I think he's the friend your father sent us to meet."

"This is Leia?" Obi-wan asked, peering down at her with an expression Ahsoka couldn't place.

The girl nodded, "You knew my father?"

Obi-wan froze, his mind clouded by the implications of that question. He settled on the most direct approach. "Yes, I did. I worked with him during the Clone War."

"Wait, were you…" Leia's voice dropped to a whisper. "A Jedi?" She asked in awe.

The Jedi Master watched her with amusement, "A very long time ago. Your 'Ashla' was one as well."

Leia's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "You didn't tell me that!"

Ahsoka huffed "I just hadn't gotten there yet, thanks for ruining the secret, Obi-wan."

He hummed, "My apologies." He abruptly straightened. "The sand people won't stay away forever. We should get inside before they come back."

* * *

"Do you want tea, child?" Obi-wan asked gently.

Leia nodded politely as he filled her cup.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes at the exchange. "The answer didn't have to be yes, Leia."

"You just don't believe anyone except old people like me like tea, Ahsoka. That is where your judgement is sorely lacking." Obi-wan snipped at her.

Ahsoka ignored him as she watched Leia take a fake sip of her cup. Her parents certainly trained her well.

"What should I call you?" Leia asked hesitantly.

Obi-wan smiled lightly, "You may call me Ben. And what should I call you?"

"Leia." She said definitively.

Ahsoka looked past Leia's outward comfort and also noticed how the girl's eyelids were drooping steadily.

"Master, do you have somewhere Leia can lay down? She has had a very long day." Ahsoka had tried to get Leia to sleep on the way to Tatooine, but girl could sleep in very short bursts. It seemed her need for sleep was finally over-powering her strong emotions. Besides, Obi-wan and Ahsoka had much to talk about away from little ears.

"Of course, come Leia."

She looked hesitantly at Ahsoka but her new guardian offered a reassuring smile. She placed down her cup and followed Obi-wan into the hallway.

Ahsoka stood up and started glancing around the room. It wasn't on purpose, she trusted Obi-wan even if she hadn't seen him in five years, but she started casing the room, checking the possible exits and assets. Her rucksack was leaning against the wall, and she mentally tallied the contents. Her twins white lightsabers, a few thousand Imperial credits tucked into a hidden pocket, a comm link, Leia and her false documentation that Artoo had magically procured (she didn't want to know how he managed that so quickly), her blaster and a contained of spare bolts, and the food and water left over from their trek through the desert.

With everything she could see categorized she began reaching out into the Force. Obi-wan and Leia in the other room were glimmers in the Force, both clearly masking their Force sensitivity. Obi-wan, like her, had surely become accustomed to shielding his signature, but Leia should be doing that so effectively. On second thought, she had barely sensed Leia's Force sensitivity at all. Given her parentage she should be a beacon in the Force like her father had been, but she was no more remarkable through the Force as her adoptive parents had been. Another question to ask Obi-wan.

Reaching out further she sensed the settlements surrounding the area. The town they had come from was not the biggest or the closest, but it had the best space port for their purposes. There were a number of the settlements around them that she assumed to be family farms and homesteads. One solidly in her sphere of sensitivity felt familiar somehow. It glowed with the same spirit Leia did, with the same spirit other shielded Jedi would. Perhaps that was why they were there. Perhaps there was an entire group of Jedi hiding on Tatooine, away from the influence of the Empire.

Focusing her attention back on Obi-wan's house, she felt a tingling at her senses. She moved unconsciously to a chest against the wall, sensing within it three glowing presences, two comforting and achingly familiar, and one unknown. Two lightsabers and a Kyber crystal wrapped in cloth greeted her when she opened the chest.

The Kyber crystal was certainly a curious question, but she recognized the two lightsabers as well as she recognized her own. She was captivated by the lightsaber on the left, the comforting spirit within it engulfing her in warmth. Her hand was inches from the hilt when…

"Ahsoka," Obi-wan said over her shoulder. "What are you...oh."

She whipped around, clutching Anakin's lightsaber in her hand. "How did you get this? Were you with him when he died?"

Obi-wan hesitated. Ahsoka wasn't sure if he was just unhappy to relive the moment or keeping something from her. "I wasn't there when he died, no. But I did take this was his body." His careful choice of words was not lost on her.

"And the Kyber crystal?"

This time he spoke easily, "It was my master's. I went back to the Temple after it had been… cleared… and retrieved it from my belongings. I did not want it to fall into the Empire's hands not like… not like everything else."

With that mention of Order 66 the floodgates opened. Ahsoka rushed forward into his arms. Obi-wan stilled for a moment but then accept the hug.

"I thought you were dead." She sobbed, still careful not to disturb Leia.

"I'm sorry I have stayed away so long, but I have...had a duty here."

"Does it have to do with that presence I sensed nearby. The one that felt like a Jedi shielding?"

Obi-wan's mouth formed an 'o'. "You can sense him?"

"Well, he's not exactly broadcasting, but I've gotten fairly adept at sensing when a force-user to hiding his presence. Who is he?"

Obi-wan fell into a chair with a thud. "That is...a very long story. And I think yours is more important at the moment."

The moment of delight at Obi-wan's survival had almost made her forget why she was there. Almost.

"Alderaan has fallen." Obi-wan face turned grave. "I don't know exactly what happened and I think we ever will. Bail or someone slipped or maybe the Emperor finally got fed up with tolerating him, but," Ahsoka sneered, "They destroyed Alderaan, they definitely either killed or captured Bail and Breha, and the Alliance has lost one of its most important benefactors."

"But Leia is safe." Obi-wan breathed in relief. "They didn't take her."

"Yes, she's...she's just watched her home be destroyed and probably became an orphan for the second time over, but, yeah, she's alive." Ahsoka sighed in defeat, finally allowing herself to realize the gravity of what had transpired over the last few days.

"And you know who she is?"

Ahsoka nodded tentatively, "I realized it the last time I visited Alderaan. I only saw her for a few minutes each visit but it was all I needed. I never confirmed it with Bail because I thought it would cause more trouble than it was worth, but you spend enough time with her and you realize it. At first you think she's just like Padme but then," She chuckled in spite of herself, "You find out she's a female Anakin."

Obi-wan actually shuddered. "I'm not sure the galaxy could handle it."

Ahsoka laughed freely this time. "She's got more common sense than he did, that's more sure. But I meant more...she's got his fire, you know. She has Padme's certainty but Anakin's stubbornness."

"A dangerous combination." Obi-wan murmured more to himself than Ahsoka.

"She'd be a good leader, just like her father, and her mother for that matter." Ahsoka amended.

"Hmmm, perhaps." He seemed unconvinced, or just lost in thought. There was a time that Ahsoka could read Obi-wan almost as well as Anakin and Cody. They weren't friends exactly, but they had relied on each enough and spent enough time together that they had become close. At times he was like a second master to her, or like an extension of his and Anakin's brotherly bond. But this man was different than who she had known. But they were all different, they thought. Order 66 had taken more than just lives.

"How did you survive Order 66 and the Jedi Purge?" She asked. Some part of her jumped on a thought. "Did Cody remove his chip afterall? Rex said he tried to convince him but he wasn't sure it worked. Did he get you out?"

Obi-wan looked confused. "Chip? What are you talking about? No, Cody ordered one of the men to shoot me down on Utapau. I landed in the water and just barely managed to escape."

Her face fell. "Obi-wan, the clones had these sort of inhibitor chips imbedded in their brains. It meant they couldn't disobey certain widespread commands, like Order 66. They didn't have control over their actions."

"Oh," She could sense his anguish in the Force. He stood suddenly and began pacing. "Why didn't we sense that? We could have stopped this all."

A bond between a Jedi and his ranking clone trooper was different for each pair, but it was impossible to operate efficiently without a great deal of trust. Obi-wan and Commander Cody had been no different, perhaps relying on each other more than any other pair in the GAR, except maybe Rex and Anakin. Like so many Clone battalions of the truly effective Jedi Generals, the 501st and 212th were families, trusting and loving each other implicitly. Their Jedi were a part of the family, bonded on the battlefield but tested in respect of one another. She could imagine their betrayal had rocked Obi-wan as or even more deeply as the other betrayals of that dark time. Ahsoka made the conscious decision to not bring up what Rex had mentioned after a couple of glasses of alcohol one night, about Fives and the Council's decision not to trust him.

"You said Rex removed his chip?" Obi-wan said finally.

"That's how I survived. I guess Order 66 still considered me a Jedi so the 501st on Mandalore fired on me. Rex killed a few of his own men to keep me alive and get off world. We faked our deaths, but I'm not sure that stuck with the Empire."

Obi-wan rubbed his beard thoughtfully. Well, that habit was exactly the same. "You've managed to avoid them this long."

Ahsoka sighed, "It hasn't been easy. The Emperor has a few lap dogs running around the galaxy, other than Vader, of course. They're called Inquisitors and they specialize in killing Jedi."

Obi-wan froze, staring unfocused at the wall.

"I guess you haven't encountered them all the way out here." She remarked. "One plus side to this hellhole, I guess."

He shook his head, "No, no, it's not that….you haven't...you haven't seen Darth Vader yourself, have you?"

"Not in the flesh, er, so to speak." Ahsoka paused, thinking over the events of the last days, "I think I sensed him when we were leaving Alderaan. He had just arrived, I think, because suddenly it hit me like an infestation of buzz droids. It was so dark… I was meaning to ask you about that, actually. He was different than the other sith I met, even without being face to face with him. It wasn't like Maul's burning rage or Dooku's controlled fire, he was cold...like...like he had lost something. I've never felt anything like that before."

Obi-wan gapped at her. "And...you felt all of this from above?"

Ahsoka nodded sheepishly.

"What exactly have you been doing for the last five years?"

"I don't normally have that much detail," She explained quickly. "But I have been working on expanding my senses. It's one of the most important skills I've got to avoid Imperial lackies." Ahsoka considered her next words carefully. "I don't know about this time though...he felt familiar."

Obi-wan's face was a stone slate, emotionless and unmoving.

"Obi-wan?" She asked expectantly.

"It has been a long day for you as well...perhaps you should-" He stopped short and whirled his head around.

"I felt it too." Ahsoka jumped into action.

She rushed outside, Obi-wan close of her heels. The shadow the Star Destroyer hanging over head flooded the sand. Menacing and sinister, it dangling above the planet, almost mocking them.

"The Empire." Obi-wan muttered, "He's here."

"They must have followed me somehow," She said frantically. "Bail...he was the only one who knew where we were going. He would have died before leading them to Leia!"

"Perhaps he had no choice." Obi-wan swept back into his hut and began gathering some of his few belongings into a pack, placing Anakin's lightsabers and Qui-gon's Kyber crystal inside. After a moment's thought he attached his own lightsaber to his belt. "Get Leia. We need to move."

But Leia was already up, screaming from down the hall. Her cries echoed through the air and Force simultaneously. Not for the first time, Ahsoka found herself wondering about the girl's abilities.

Ahsoka rushed into the room Obi-wan had put her up in and scooped a severely distraught Leia into her arms once more.

"What's wrong?"

"It...it's so dark...it feels wrong." Leia sputtered. "It feels like what came to Alderaan."

"Come on now. It's time to be brave, alright little one?"

Leia nodded shakily.

Ahsoka dragged her back into the main room where Obi-wan was waiting.

"My ship's at a port a few kilometers away. I'm not sure we'll make it in time. I don't suppose you have your own?"

He shook his head. "Unfortunately not, but I do have a contingency plan. We need to make an urgent stop first though."

"They're right on top of us! How is it possible that they haven't found us yet." Ahsoka questioned.

"Bail knew where I had settled but not the exact location. I sent him a data stick with the coordinates of my house about a year after I came here, for emergencies just like this. The data stick must have been what was implanted in the ship you arrived on. He had strict instructions never to view the coordinates himself until he absolutely had to."

"So they have the entire planet to search."

Obi-wan looked uncertain. "Technically yes, but...if Vader is on that ship he will most definitely find us quicker than a few stormtroopers would."

She didn't question him, even though her mind was swimming with the information.

"Okay, how are we getting to that 'stop' you mentioned.

The answer ended up being banthas. He apparently had developed a relationship with a few that tended to graze nearby. Bantha were notably dumb but could be swayed with persistence meals and attention. They were not particularly fast, but Obi-wan was adamant that save for a speeder, which they did not have, there was no safer way to cross the desert.

Leia immediately wrinkled her nose at them, a remnant of the pampered princess she had been only days before.

Obi-wan promptly ignored her protests, and Threepio's whining, and used the Force to lift them up and plop them down. Artoo's teasing of Threepio's ungraceful landing had triggered a sharp, unamused look.

Ahsoka on the other hand almost laughed. This was the Obi-wan she remembered. Not the grandfatherly man that had introduced himself to Leia nor the stoic hermit she had interacted with in the hut, but the Jedi Master and General, leading his troops into battle. Even if those troops were an annoying protocol droid, a wiry astromech, a five-year princess, and a washed-up former Jedi.

Leia rode in front of Obi-wan, tightly wrapped in cloth to keep the sand away from her eyes. Ahsoka rode in front of Artoo and Threepio and suffered through both of them complaining that they weren't built for this.

The Empire's malevolent presence still loomed in the Force, no doubt they were descending on to the surface at that very instant, but they finally came across a small homestead on the frontier. Ahsoka immediately recognized the warm glow within to be what she had sensed earlier when she sweeping the area.

Obi-wan dismounted swiftly, meticulously lowering Leia to the ground with the Force.

"Owen! Beru!"

A young man, a few years older than herself, emerged from the homestead.

"Ben!" he barked. "We've just heard. What the kriffing hell did you do?!"

"Owen," A gentle voice called from behind him. "You know this wasn't him."

A woman stood in the doorway, arms wrapped a little boy in front of her. He was peering curiously at them from behind a sheet of blonde bangs.

"Are they here for you or us, Ben." The woman, Beru, asked calmly.

"Neither," he responded solemnly, "But we are all in danger now."

Beru nodded and pulled the young boy back into the house.

"You expect us to leave?" Owen asked roughly.

"I expect you to do what you must to survive." Obi-wan answered sharply. "But one way or another, Luke is coming with me." He gestured towards the door. "I swore I would keep him safe and that is what I intend to do."

"You'd take him away from us?" Owen questioned harshly.

"If I must." Obi-wan started, "But even if Luke came with me, do you really believe that the Empire would leave you untouched, Owen? Do you really believe that they would leave the farm intact?"

"This had farm has been in my family for four generations, Kenobi! I'm not about to leave it because you're convinced that Luke's in danger, which I'm not even certain is the truth."

Ahsoka could see Obi-wan's anger bubbling under the surface.

"What do you mean by that?"

Owen sneered. "This is your way of forcing us to let Luke be trained. Isn't that what you always wanted? For Luke to be a Jedi like his kriffing father? Well how did that work out for him?"

Obi-wan eyes blazed and Ahsoka could feel the Force swirling around them.

"Stop it! Both of you." Beru suddenly appeared again, this time holding a bag. "We'll go with you."

"Beru." Owen started but she held up a hand.

"I refuse to abandon our boy." She said definitively. "And he's right Owen. The Empire won't let us be if they find out about Luke."

"But the farm-"

"The farm is just a place, what matters is the people within it."

The man sighed, still glaring at Obi-wan. "Fine."

Obi-wan was still simmering through the Force but his face had returned to a serene mask. "You have a speeder?"

Owen nodded tightly.

"Then we must be on our way."

Ahsoka dismounted the bantha as Obi-wan followed Beru and Owen into the building, most likely to collect the boy and the rest of their belongings. She sighed and glanced down at Leia.

She looked stricken and exhausted.

"What was that?" Leia asked quietly.

"Obi-wan and his friend just had a little disagreement."

She shook her head. "It wasn't...I felt...I'm not sure."

Obi-wan was shielding securely. The only reason Ahsoka had been able to feel his rage was because of their weak bond. It had never been as tight as her bond with Anakin or Master Plo, but it was strong enough that they could sense each other's intense emotions. Leia had known Obi-wan for a day and probably a bit when she was born but that couldn't count. This child was untrained but technically still in the sweet spot for younglings to be taken to the Temple. Any older and the Force would sink into the back of her mind and she would have to fight to recover it. But she still shouldn't be able to feel Obi-wan like that, not enough to cause that much distress.

"I'm sorry if he scared you Leia. He's had a difficult day."

Even as she said it, she regretted it. Obi-wan was having a difficult day. Leia parents had probably died and her planet had all but been destroyed. _She_ was having a difficult day.

Leia didn't react if she thought the wording was weird, she just continued looking quizzically at the homestead.

"Are you ready?" Obi-wan said as he emerged from the house.

Ahsoka nodded.

Owen swung around building in a small speeder. "The droids will have to be strapped to the side, but we'll fit."

Threepio immediately launched a wave of complaints.

"Threepio?" Owen furrowed his brow. "_The_ Threepio?"

"I'm sorry?" The protocol droid stopped his rant for a second. "Have we met before?"

"Um, yeah. You used to work for me, well my stepmother technically."

"Oh no, sir. You must be mistaken. I have been in the employ of the Royal Family of Alderaan for the last five years."

"Yes, but before that. You were my family's."

Threepio made to contradict him again but Obi-wan cut them both off. "Threepio had his memory wife after the war. For obvious reasons."

Owen grubbled at being shown up by Obi-wan but was interrupted by Beru guiding Luke out of the homestead a final time.

"Would you two please stop arguing for just a moment. There are children present." Beru scolded them. Then she turned to Ahsoka and Leia. "I'm so sorry, I don't believe we have been introduced. I'm Beru Lars. This is my husband, Owen." She pointed towards the man in the speeder. "And our nephew, Luke." She squeezed the boy's shoulders affectionately.

He offered them a bright smile. Luke seemed to glow warmly in the Force, like a beacon in swirling chaos.

"I'm Ashla," Ahsoka introduced herself. "And this is Leia."

Leia forced her lips to tilted upwards. "Hello." She managed politely.

Beru smiled warmly. "Hello, dear."

Luke raised his hand in greeting. "Hi." He said softly to Leia.

"Enough of the introductions. Didn't you say we were on a clock, Kenobi?" Owen said gruffly.

Obi-wan had been watching over the introduction closely but was brought back to reality. "Yes, yes, we must go."

"I want to ride in the front with Uncle Owen!" Luke said excitedly.

For the first time in their short acquaintance, Owen grinned. "Alright Luke, but you have to stay in your seat."

They managed to strap the droids to the side of the speeder despite their protestations and just barely convinced them to shut up. Luke rode proudly in the front between Owen and Obi-wan while Leia was wedged in the back with Beru and Ahsoka. Luke had kindly asked if Leia wanted to go in the front with him but she had declined immediately, insistent that Ahsoka needed to be in her sight at all times. The girl clung to her as they rode. Owen was not a bad driver by any means, but she had probably only been driven by professional royal drivers on official roads and was not used to the uncertainty of the desert terrain.

"He's not always like this." Beru said quietly to Ahsoka over Leia's head when they were well on their way. "Owen's brother was Luke's father and...they didn't have the best relationship. It was no question to take Luke in when he needed us, but he didn't love that Ben stuck around. He's really only like this with Ben." She explained softly. "Normally he's a very kind man, you just caught him at his worst."

Everyone seems to be at their worst these days, Ahsoks said to herself.

Beyond short conversations between her and Beru and Luke's occasional random question the ride to the nearest space port was nearly silent. The haunting presence of the Empire loomed over them like a guillotine. Even Owen and Beru, who Ahsoka figured were not force-sensitive though Luke was certainly was, seemed to feel it in the air.

Mercifully, the space port was absent of Imperials, at least for the moment.

Beru and Ahsoka pooled together enough credits to get them a ship and some food while Obi-wan and Owen sat in stubborn silence and Luke and Leia considered each other carefully.

Luke seemed enthusiastic about the adventure and his new friend, but Leia was understandably wary. But to Ahsoka's surprise she seemed to be getting along with him better than she could have expected. Luke managed to coax a few genuine smiles out of Leia as he talked about his dream to be a starpilot.

"And I'm going to see the entire galaxy. Every planet out there." He animatedly exclaimed.

To Ahsoka's utter joy Leia actually giggled. "There's a lot out there. Are you sure you can make it every one?"

He thought for a moment before asking: "Well, how many have you visited."

"Including this one," Leia crinkled her face in concentration. "I think four, maybe five counting where I was born but I'm pretty sure that was an asteroid."

Luke nodded in interest. "I'm going to see all of them too."

Leia smiled. "There's even more of those." Luke's face fell for a moment but was soon replaced with a longing sort of look.

"Finally," Ahsoka interrupted as Beru and Owen finally returned from purchasing a ship. Togruta were not extremely common in this region of the galaxy and Obi-wan was convinced that the Empire would have his holoimage so they sent the least recognizable to retrieve a ship.

Ahsoka and Obi-wan could both sense the Empire closing in, getting nearer by the second.

Beru gathered the children up, making sure they still had all of their clothes and limbs.

The buzzing in the Force began as they were just meters from the ship. Luke and Leia's demeanors changed almost immediately, going from unbothered to agitated in seconds. The docking bay was at the edge of the port, buying them just a little time.

"He's found us." Obi-wan breathed, his fear reverberating through the Force. It had been rare to see Obi-wan afraid during the Clone War as he was always in control, Anakin's foil. Ahsoka felt that his fear wasn't for his own life but almost completely for the children.

Beru and Owen hustled the kids on board. Luke and Leia were nearly paralyzed with fear.

White-armored figures crested over the sand and three small landcrafts appeared in the blue sky.

Ahsoka felt him before he saw him. The painful, sorrowful cold enveloped her and she shivered despite the burning sun on her skin. She had never seen Vader herself, only heard stories, but she recognized the feeling. The imposing black form stepped down from one of the gunships and started gliding over the sand.

She produced her lightsabers and started deflecting the barrage of shots coming from the troopers.

Obi-wan turned to her, a look in his eyes she only recognized from the most dire moments of the war. "Go! I'll hold them off!"

"No!" She said, "I'm not leaving you. You'll die!"

Obi-wan did not argue. He shouted over the sound of blastfire. "If you stay we all will."

"Where do I go?" She cried. "Where is safe?"

He did not stop his methodical motion but she felt him shudder in the Force. "Oh, sith's hell, forgive me, my friend." He murmured. "Chandrila. Contact the rebel cell and ask for Venus. Tell her I did my best but...I failed."

"Obi-wan!" Ahsoka yelled.

"Go!"

With a swift movement he Force pushed her onto the ship. Owen had started the takeoff sequence but he was going to need her to get them in the atmosphere.

The bay door began to close as they took off and she saw one final glimpse of her old friend as the stormtroopers overtook him.

* * *

There was no sound in hyperspace save for Beru's muffled crying. Owen was staring stoically out the window in the copilot's seat in the front. Luke seemed confused by the sudden change in events but was fascinated by being in a real starship for the first time. Leia had finally fallen asleep, unable to fight her exhaustion any longer. And Ahsoka didn't really know what to do.

It had been so long since she had allowed herself to hope. And it was gone. Obi-wan was dead. Again. And she was alone. Again.

She was all Leia had so she couldn't leave. She couldn't revert into herself like she had done after Order 66. Leia had started to warm to the Lars family but she certainly didn't trust them like she trusted Ahsoka.

Ahsoka took comfort in the only thing she could. Chandrila meant Mon Mothma and that meant some sense of security. It meant an honorable, semi-functioning rebel cell, if her reports were anything to go by. It also probably meant a real bed and meal for Leia and herself, for the first time it what she calculated to be about six days since Alderaan.

Approaching Chandrila meant approaching the Core and Coruscant. Ahsoka did her best to put her worst fears out of her mind and focus on the mission at hand.

"We're coming out of hyperspace." Owen called.

Ahsoka pulled herself out of her thoughts and landed in the pilot's chair. Owen was not a bad pilot for someone who had never left Tatooine before, but they all trusted her a little more with the complicated flying.

In the journey from Tatooine to the Core she had gotten to know Owen and Beru better. Beru had been right when she said Owen's behavior had more to due with Obi-wan presence than his own natural personality. He was kind with Luke, if a little impatient at times, and seemed to genuinely love his wife. Beru was still as likable as ever, but Ahsoka had noticed that she still harbored some suspicion toward her and Leia.

Neither Ahsoka nor the Lars had been very forthcoming to each other about how and why they knew Obi-wan. Owen and Beru also claimed they had no idea who this 'Venus' person they were meeting was but Ahsoka suspected that wasn't entirely true. Luke and Leia had become fast friends, leaning on each other and bonding over the mutual loss of their homes.

"Wow!" Luke gazed at the green and blue planet as it came into view. "I've never seen that much green in my life!"

Leia sniffed, "You would have loved Alderaan. It was all green and blue-and white! You've probably never seen snow before either."

"What's that?"

Leia gasped, "It's the most amazing thing! It's-"

"Children." Beru stopped them.

Ahsoka maneuvered them down onto the planet. Chandrila was technically an occupied planet since it was so close to the core but the local government still exercised the most control. They had been lucky to keep most of their sovereignty. A lot of former Republic planets were not so fortunate.

Getting through security was a breeze with their unremarkable civilian vessel. Artoo was probably too good at manufacture fake IDs.

Finding accommodations on the ground was slightly less convenient. The Lars were eager to protect their nephew but were extremely unfamiliar with the galaxy beyond Tatooine. Ahsoka had to set them up in a room at a motel before she could go find the rebel cell. The motel definitely gave off some decidedly shady vibes but there were few questions asked when they checked in.

Leaving Leia with them became a whole 'nother thing. She had grown quite attached to Ahsoka in their weeklong relationship and was still wary about being separated from her. It took an hour of tearing up before Luke had finally wrapped Leia in his arms and Ahsoka had been able to slip up. Those two really were becoming thick as thieves.

She crept along the streets of Hanna City. Chandrila was truly beautiful and even its capital city's underbelly was well taken care off. When she was a safe enough distance away from the motel she pulled out her comm link. It may have been one of the most well encrypted communication devices in the sector but there was no way in sith's hell she was allowing her comm to be tracked to Leia.

"Alliance, this is Fulcrum. Ben is down. I repeat: Ben is down. I need to get in contact with an agent called Venus. Over." She said.

There was static on the other end. "Fulcrum, this is Sparrow. Venus will meet you in warehouse 7 in sector 3."

Ahsoka couldn't help remembering the last time she had been mysteriously summoned to a nondescript warehouse for a secret meeting. It hadn't exactly gone well that time. Hopefully Obi-wan wasn't steering her as wrong as Barriss had.

* * *

The warehouse was a safe distance from the motel, just enough for Ahsoka's comfort. She reached briefly to touch Leia and Luke in the Force. Their Force signatures seemed even stronger together, but still wrapped in fierce shielding.

A rustle in the boughs of the warehouse 7.

"Who's there?" She called. Her voice dropped slightly. "Venus?"

"Fulcrum?" A female voice fluttered somewhere in the building.

"Kaminoans are a dime a dozen." Ahsoka said, attempting one of the Alliance's code phrases.

"But only when they looked the same." A hooded figure appeared from behind shipping container. Beneath her cloak the woman's eyes widened. "Ahsoka?"

Ahsoka's heart stopped.

"Padme?"

NOTE: This came from a random thought I had about why Palpatine never went after Bail when it was incredibly obvious to literally everyone he was funding the rebellion. He's definitely not an idiot so why didn't he do anything until the Death Star? Obviously there are some changes to canon in addition to the divergence but my philosophy about that get's fleshed out in later chapters.

Cross posted on AO3.


	2. The Executor

Disclaimed: I have never and most likely will never (but you know maybe in a dream) own Star Wars.

Chapter 2: The Executor

Obi-wan had been prepared to die. The bay door had closed behind him and the small ship Beru had found was taking off. The twins and their respective guardians were safe and they were on their way to the one person he knew could protect him. He thought that it was his time to join the Force. To be one with all the people he missed so dearly.

But when the stormtroopers finally arrived at his position they didn't blast him into oblivion. They forced him to his knees and allowed their Lord to cross the sea of white.

Again he was prepared. Darth Vader approached him, cold and menacing in the Force, so unlike the boy he had raised. He glared into the empty black sockets of his mask and tried to imagine his brother beneath it. It was almost impossible.

"Kenobi." Vader intoned. His voice was deep from the modulator. It added to the horrible illusion that this was a stranger and not the boy he had raised. "We meet again."

Obi-wan fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Always with the theatrics." He said, easily falling back into the cautious confidence he had worn during the Clone War. "It had been a long time...Vader." He tested out the name for the first time. It felt wrong on his tongue, like a lie. "Finally come to kill me, then?"

Vader didn't do anything, just stared at him with lifeless eyes.

"What? Nothing to say?" Obi-wan asked, fighting to keep a quiver out of his voice.

Shockingly, Obi-wan felt a crinkle in the Force. There was no other way to describe it. It was unlike anything else he had ever felt. It was like something wrinkled. He couldn't tell its origin but he knew it had something do with Vader.

He opened his mouth to mock him again, force him to get it over with, when everything went black.

* * *

But he woke up. He wasn't supposed to wake up. Everything he knew about death in the Force, even his studies about how to preserve your consciousness, told him he wouldn't wake up. If his training had been complete (it wasn't) he would slowly find consciousness over a matter of time, repiecing himself together in the Force.

Only...he was whole now. As whole as he had been since the Empire rose, since the Jedi died, since he lost Anakin.

Tentatively, Obi-wan pawed around in the Force for a moment, trying to create a picture of his surroundings. The structure reminded him of Republic cruisers, but he knew that those had been repurposed into Imperial star destroyers. He wasn't in a cell but he could sense that he was _not_ welcome to leave.

Whatever bed he had been laid on was not uncomfortable if a bit stiff. He dragged himself up, testing one leg on the floor at the time. He was still in one piece. No broken bones or missing limbs to be seen. He rubbed his eyes, trying to regain focus.

"Karking sith's hell!" He jumped back, reaching for his lightsaber at his belt only to come up empty.

Darth Vader was standing in the corner of his not-cell, staring at him. Unmoving, unflinching.

"Kenobi." He said.

"Vader," Obi-wan began. "You didn't kill me."

"Yes."

"I've noticed this."

"Yes."

"And why the hell haven't you done it yet?" He shouted.

It might have been his imagination but he thought he sensed something brighten in the Force, like his former Padawan was smiling beneath his mask.

Vader didn't answer.

"Very forthcoming today, aren't we, Darth?"

"I'm...I'm not sure." Vader responded.

Obi-wan stared at him. "You're not sure." He repeated. "Not sure...why you haven't killed me yet?"

Vader nodded.

"Well...this is quite the dilemma. Would a pro/con list help?" He quirked an eyebrow.

Vader glared at him. "No."

"Are you sure?"

"Are you trying to die?" He growled.

Obi-wan sighed, "There is no right answer to that."

"I suppose not."

They fell into tense silence.

Without warning Vader rose to his feet and started pacing. He rumbled aggressively and rounded on Obi-wan. "I know why I need you. I need you to get thing-" He pointed to his head. "Out of my head!"

"I'm...I'm sorry?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. It must be some Jedi trick. _You_ put it there!" Vader said, growing more irritated with every word.

"Lord Vader, I assure you. I have no godly idea what you're talking about." Obi-wan deadpanned.

"Yes, you do. Don't lie to me, Kenobi! You put this is in my mind and now you must take it out."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't!"

"YES, YOU DO!" Vader yelled and pulled away, holding his head in his hands.

Obi-wan waited for the smoke to clear around Vader's presence before he spoke again. "Perhaps, if you told me exactly what's wrong...I may be able to help you."

Vader groaned. "I've been hearing...I've been hearing Master Qui-gon."

Well, that was...unexpected.

"Hearing? Not seeing?"

Vader shook his head. "Just in my head. At first I thought it was my imagination. I've heard...other people before. But this...this was different. It's like he's here. In my mind."

Obi-wan stared at him.

"You think I'm crazy!" Vader roared.

"Well...yes. But not because of this. I'm just confused...I didn't think there was anyway he could get in."

"Neither did I."

Both men, the revered Jedi and the feared Sith Lord, jumped a foot in the air.

"Now, really? Was that necessary?" The ghost of Qui-gon Jinn said to his former Padawan and grand-Padawan.

"Mas...master?" Vader said softly.

Qui-gon smiled gently. "Hello, Anakin. How about you take that ridiculous mask off?"

Vader sighed and went to undo the mechanisms. He pulled it off to reveal a full head of dirty blonde hair.

Obi-wan gaped at him. "I thought...I thought that you were burned by the lava on Mustafar and that's why you need the respirator suit."

Vader scowled. "I did for the first year to repair the damage to my lungs but my master thought I should keep wearing the suit to maintain the image. You know, terrifying Sith Lord and all." Vader snarked. "Since you were kind enough to leave me to die next to a burning river of fire with a massive hole in my stomach I had to make do."

Obi-wan flinched. "I never meant to...I didn't want to leave you."

"No, you intended to kill me. But you were too much of a coward." Vader sneered.

"Boys!" Qui-gon interrupted. "You are both at fault here, so, please, just listen to me."

"Fine by me, Master." Obi-wan said. "As long as Lord Vader here gives me back my lightsaber."

"No chance."

"Please, just listen." Qui-gon said, turning to Vader. "I am not a figment of your imagination, Ani."

"My name is not-"

"Let the man speak, Vader."

Vader growled at Obi-wan. "Listen here you-"

"I swear to the Force I will tie both of you up and gag you if you do not shut up!" Qui-gon said, reaching maximum level of annoyance.

Both men went quiet before erupting into noise at the exact same time.

"He started it!" "Well, you're a ghost so how are you going to-"

He facepalmed, dragging translucent hand down his face. "I just need a little exposition time, please. It's all I ask." Qui-gon turned to Vader again. "Anakin, Vader-whatever your name is, I came to you at a turning point. A time when, for the first time in a long time, the future was not set in stone. A few fate-altering events occurred at once, far too soon. When was the first time you heard me."

Vader paused for a moment, eyeing Obi-wan warying. "On Alderaan, just after I got there. You told me...you told me not to kill the Organas."

"I did, thank you for that, by the way, Vader."

Obi-wan's eyes widened. "Bail's alive."

Vader didn't move, his face uncharacteristically emotionless. "He was when I left him, but...I cannot vouch for his condition now."

"Bail and Breha Organa are...interesting pieces to the story. Their fate is uncertain, for now." Qui-gon explained cryptically.

"Master, you said that Alderaan was the first time the future was not set in stone, but Yoda says that the future is always in motion." Obi-wan asked.

Vader groaned.

Qui-gon tilted his head. "I suppose set in stone is the wrong metaphor. It is like the tide of the future has been set in place but something changed enough to loosen it. When _it_ loosened, Palpatine's iron grip on your mind loosened enough for me to slip inside."

Vader's eyes flashed. "So you've been manipulating me?!"

"No, no," Qui-gon shook his absentmindedly, "More like providing an alternative solution to each problem. I guess...if you have a cordor on one shoulder and a rancor on the other, I've been acting as the condor, which has been mysteriously absent for about five years. That blasted rancor has been running the show and I'm about ready to scream." Qui-gon grinned like it was a private joke. "Your cordor used to how more power, you probably remember her, you know, your _conscience_."

Obi-wan snickered. Vader glared.

"What changed?" He growled.

"Every timeline has their own variations, that is, there are certain that can occur with will create the same result. Your battle on Mustafar, for example. No matter what happens, you will always wear that suit, one way or another. There is a monumental space battle in almost fourteen years. That will always occur. Another constant is Alderaan." Qui-gon's eyes became unfocused for a moment. "One of the worst events in the Force's eternity long history."

Vader scoffed. "The attack on Alderaan was bad, sure, but it was certainly not the most violent battle I've taken part of." At Obi-wan scowl, Vader continued, "And that counts the Clone War, Kenobi, and the armies _you_ commanded."

"No, you're right, Anakin." Qui-gon continued. "The recent attack on Alderaan was not as severe as some others, that's because it stopped the planet's destruction. As a demonstration of your Death Star."

The air in the room dropped ten degrees. Vader was straight as a pole, staring at Qui-gon. "That monstrosity was completed?"

He nodded, "And fully operational, for a time. One of its first targets was Alderaan, a moment laid out by the beings of the Force since Alderaan was created eons ago. Because of your attack that event never comes to pass. That created enough of a shift in the Force that I could slip in and try to counteract Palpatine's influence. I'm not forcing you to do anything, anymore than Sidious is. I'm just presenting another way and attempting to remind you what it feels like to be good."

Vader opened and closed his mouth. "I understand."

Qui-gon actually seemed surprised. "You do? I thought I didn't explain that very well." He turned to Obi-wan with a grin, "And you said he was a bad student."

Obi-wan just looked at him with wide eyes. Vader might be up to date on what the kriff just happened, but Obi-wan was _not_.

"Ummm, what's the Death Star?" Obi-wan asked.

This time, Vader answered him. "A horrible weapon commissioned by my Master. Theoretically, it has the power to destroy entire worlds," He shuddered, "And, apparently, it will." He looked hopefully at Qui-gon, "You said 'for a time.' Does someone find a way to destroy it?"

Qui-gon gazed at him. "Well...yes. But that's not important now."

"Qui-gon, you said 'a few time altering events'. Was there more than one?" Obi-wan asked

"Oh." Qui-gon quite looked dazed for a moment. "There have been several. Alderaan was not the first or the last but it was the most dramatic. There are quite a few I'm going to have to let you figure out on your own."

"Real helpful." Vader deadpanned.

The older Jedi sighed, "It's not me. I would like to tell you everything, but the beings of the Force...they don't like giving away too much too soon. I was barely allowed to tell you as much as I did. And to leave you a message. I asked you to not kill Obi-wan for a reason."

"Thank you."

"Of course, Padawan. Other than the obvious: friendship, loyalty, brotherhood, etc. You need him, Anakin. My connection to the physical realm is fading quickly. I cannot be the condor on your shoulder anymore. That is Obi-wan's job now." Qui-gon finished and regarded his former Padawan, "Obi-wan, be patient with him. He has been manipulated by the Dark Side, yes, but not everything he said about the Jedi was wrong. Their inability to compromise and see the other perspective caused their downfall. It is up to you to help Anakin back to where he belongs, to whom he belongs. I hope you find your own clarity along the way."

Qui-gon faded into nothingness.

Leaving two men standing alone in a room.

"Anakin." Obi-wan said.

"That's not my…"

"Anakin." He said again.

Vader sighed, "Yes Master?"

"That was real, right? Not a hallucination. I'm not dead or drugged or being interrogated?"

"Not unless I am too."

"Hmmm, how… irritating."

"Agreed."

Whatever room they were in was fairly well furnished, with the bed Obi-wan had woken up on, and the chair Vader had since fallen back into.

"Where exactly are we?" Obi-wan asked hesitantly.

"My apartment on the Executor." He answered honestly.

Obi-wan glanced around skeptically. "And this room is…"

"Just a room." Vader said.

"It's definitely not your room."

"What is that supposed to mean?" He said harshly.

"You were a packrat when you were a Jedi. You were always collecting random bits of metal and droid parts. Your room at the Temple was a mess. I cannot believe you wouldn't be one now that you aren't a Jedi."

"I've," Vader looked somewhat stricken for a moment. "I've apparently lost the habit."

"Hmmm...how unfortunate."

Vader uncharacteristically quirked an eyebrow. "You used to hate that about me. 'A Jedi does not have attachments to personal possessions, my very young apprentice.'" He mocked Obi-wan with a bad Coruscanti accent, rubbing an imaginary beard.

"I don't sound like that." Obi-wan said defensively. "I didn't hate that about you. It made you who you are. So I loved it. Well, tolerated it at least." He added in a light tone.

"Kenobi," Vader groaned and got to his feet. "Don't try this with me."

"I have no idea to what you were referring, Anakin."

"You're lying to me." Vader seemed pained, not exactly angry, but pained.

Obi-wan sighed. "No, I'm not. I'm...I'm just getting out what I should have said five years ago when you needed me. _Force_, why didn't I see it then. You needed someone to pull you back."

Vader scoffed, "No I didn't. I was where I was supposed to be. The Jedi destroyed the Republic and the Empire was created from its ashes. I was doing my duty to the Republic."

"I know you don't actually mean that." Obi-wan said wearily.

Vader stiffened, refusing to look at his former master. The throbbing in his head that had been a constant during the end of the war was back. He had experienced five years of relief from that dratted headache only for it to return, just like Kenobi.

"I assume you still fly?" The Jedi asked.

"Of course."

"Just combat missions or for fun, like you used to?" Obi-wan smiled as memory reached him. "I remember when we were on leave after the Battle of Christophsis, just after Ahsoka joined us. I mentioned that you should warn her about your...unique...flying style so we took her up, just the three of us. It was the first time in a while that you had gotten to fly not in battle. If I recall correctly that became a bit of a tradition after difficult battles for you two. Just flying for the sake of flying. Do you still do that?"

He didn't answer.

"I recognized some of the men in your unit on Tatooine. I thought most of the clones were decommissioned." Obi-wan continued.

"I maintained my battalion from the war. They are loyal to me and only me. Clone troopers are better soldiers than stormtroopers. I won't let their inexperience get in my way." He said shortly.

"Ahh, so the famed Vader's Fist is actually the remains of the 501st."

Vader pursed his lips and nodded tightly.

"And Captain Rex is still in command?"

"No." His face was unchanging but a small jostle through the Force alerted Obi-wan to his sudden intense emotion. "He died on Mandalore. He refused to follow Order 66 so he was executed for betraying the Republic."

"Understandable. He did refuse to murder the young commander he had fought alongside for three years and who had saved his life countless times. Oh, and who was not technically was Jedi but the Order targeted anyway."

"What are you getting at Kenobi?" Vader growled.

"I'm only attempting to get to understand you, Lord Vader. Do you still sneak off to watch podraces in the lower levels? I know you used to love that when you were young. If the random injuries were anything to go off of, you competed in quite a few as well."

Vader snorted. "I never got injured because I always won. Those injuries were from _your_ half-baked disaster plans."

"No, you're getting us mixed up. My plans were always precisely planned out. _Yours_ were the half-baked disasters." Obi-wan said lightly with dubious look on his face,

"They were planned out alright, but how often did they actually go to plan?" The glint in his eyes reminded him so deeply of Anakin that Obi-wan mentally kicked himself. Where was he going with this? What exactly did he intended to accomplish with bringing up these old memories? Ugh, he needed to make a plan. But Anakin was right, they so rarely stayed on course.

"Stop this useless gambit, Kenobi." Vader said, mirroring his thoughts about their momentary lapse into old habits. "You weren't alone on Tatooine."

Oh, so that was what this was about.

"I wondered when you would say something."

Vader paused, considering something. "I sensed her when she left Alderaan. _She_ brought Organa's daughter to Tatooine, to you, for safety. The girl must have been on the ship but it was taking off when..._she_ was getting on the ship so there was someone else."

No. Not yet. Not today.

"Anakin." He sighed, "That is a very long story."

"Her lightsabers were white." Vader noted, the idea of others briefly escaping his thoughts as he pictured his old Padawan in his mind.

"Yes, I had wondered about that myself."

"Does...does she know about me?"

Obi-wan rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "I believe she suspects but isn't sure. It _is_ a thought too terrible to comprehend, even for me."

Vader rolled his eyes. "And you call me melodramatic."

"Vader slaughtered younglings. He destroyed the Temple and everything the Jedi held dear."

A growl rumbled in his chest. "I didn't."

Prepared for a lie, Obi-wan was immensely surprised to sense the truth in his words. "But...the holovids. I saw the Temple's recordings!"

"Doctored. It's not difficult to manipulate recordings. They were kids, Kenobi. It wasn't their fault they had been taken by the Jedi and raised to be soldiers. I saved as many as I could and arranged for them to be returned to their families or adopted by new ones. I destroyed the adults that fought back. _They_ were Jedi. _They_ were traitors. But the kids, they didn't deserve to suffer for their teachers' crimes."

Obi-wan watched him incredulously. "How the hell did you manage to pull this off?"

Vader smirked. "I said the 501st was loyal. Even during Order 66 they trusted by judgement."

It was almost too good to hope. "So the Jedi aren't gone?"

"No, the Jedi are gone. I just chose not to murder dozens of innocent kids. I've kept them off the Empire's radar this long and I intend to keep it that way." He jabbed a finger at Obi-wan. "So don't get any ideas about collecting them. They're safer where they are."

He thought for a moment. "You may actually be right."

"Wow, how much did that hurt?"

Obi-wan shot him a look, "There is no way I could protect all of them. It's safer for them to be spread across the galaxy. I only wonder...you're sure there is no way the Emperor knows about them?"

"I command the Inquisitors and I have removed all trace of these children from the archives. Besides, my master believes they are all dead." Vader swallowed. "He does not believe there is any way I could have disobeyed him."

Obi-wan stood slowly and began to pace. He tested the waters carefully, unsure of what Vader's reaction to his movement would be. "And what about me? Does your master know you allowed me to live?"

"No. He does not."

For the first time Obi-wan allowed himself to take a good look at his former apprentice. His hair was darker and his skin paler, probably from spending so much time in his plastic and durasteel prison. His dirty blonde hair was also cut shorter than it had been since the beginning of the war, since his Padawan days. Anakin had despised getting his haircut, convincing Obi-wan to let him grow it out whenever he could. By the time the end war ended his hair was nearly to his shoulders but now it was cropped close. It reminded Obi-wan of the standard clone haircut, tight military style. Almost all of them deviated from it at some point in order to manufacture some degree of individuality.

The scar along his right eye was still as prominent as ever, now accompanied by a few others Obi-wan knew he had inflicted himself. The battle at Mustafar had been one of the most difficult fights of his life. He had been caught between trying to protect his friend and himself from the fire and still win the fight. Anakin was an extremely talented duelist but lacked the patience to battle on such a hostile world. Obi-wan knew he wouldn't have won if he hadn't known how to use his surroundings to his advantage. He also knew he would have died immediately if Anakin had been focused. He had never seen his brother as unbalanced as he was on Mustafar. Even now, as sunken in the Dark Side as he was, he seemed secure in his choices. All except for one choice...a secret Obi-wan intended to keep for now.

During the duel on Mustafar Anakin had attempted a rash move to vault over Obi-wan. He had reacted slower than he should of. There was a part of him that did not believe Anakin would be as foolish as to expose himself like that. The boy on Geonosis perhaps, but not the semi-rational Jedi knight he had become. It was in that instant that Obi-wan realized Anakin had lost himself, and not just to the Dark Side.

So he hesitated. He did not take the obvious move and dismember him. He waited until Anakin landed and was struggling to maintain his balance. He stabbed his lightsaber through his former Padawan, his best friend, his _brother_'s stomach and left him there to die. Obi-wan allowed his emotions to get the better of him and did not take action. He did not finish the job like a sane Jedi would but he did not try to help him like a good older brother would. He just said his tearful goodbyes, fully expecting never to see the young man again, and collected Anakin's lightsaber and very pregnant wife.

If Anakin's brief confinement to the suit was any indication, he had suffered immense damage to his lungs by being exposed to the volcanic fumes for that long. Obi-wan and Padme had both been treated for oxygen-deprivation the moment they arrived on Polis Massa, but he did not know how long Anakin had festered next to the river of lava. His weakened state from the major lightsaber wound would not have helped. A few inches to the left and Anakin would not be walking. A few inches above and he probably would not be breathing. And _he_ had done it _himself_.

It was a random thought, but as they sat in uncomfortable silence at Vader's unanticipated declaration that he was keeping Obi-wan a secret from his master, Obi-wan felt his mind diverge. There had been much wrong about Anakin in the Force when they met on Mustafar. He had been conflicted and broken even before Padme had arrived. When she did that confusion multiplied tenfold. The memory of the confrontation had haunted Obi-wan for five years, filling his nightmares and corrupting his dreams. Sometimes, in the few good dreams he had, he would be with Anakin. They would be doing something mundane like flying or eating or laughing and he would look up to see Vader staring back at him. Sometimes it was Anakin's face or Vader's mask but something would always remain consistent, the image that disturbed him to this day. Anakin's once bright blue eyes, the same color as Tatooine's sky, and, incidentally, the same color as his own lightsaber crystal, would be a sickly yellow.

But now, he realized as he regarded Vader closely, they were a shimmering blue again. He had exact shade of blue in his eyes as the boy he had helped escape only hours (or was it days, he had no idea how long he had been captured) ago had. Vader's eyes weren't a sinister, painful yellow, they were as clear as they had been when they had met almost twenty years ago.

"Oh, Anakin," He said finally. "I'm so sorry."

Vader looked affronted, his face contorting into something between a scowl and a pout. "I-wh-Obi-I...what?" His automatic response was confusion but then it dissolved, like he was trying to decide whether he was offended or touched.

"I am so sorry I wasn't there for you." Obi-wan's voice cracked. "You were my responsibility and I abandoned you." His eyes clenched shut. "I failed you."

_Just like I failed the twins. I should not be around others. All I do is destroy them. Anakin, Satine, Qui-gon, Bail, Luke, even Padme. They were all gone or broken because he failed. _

He turned around, unwilling to look Vader in the eye for fear he would see a glint of yellow there. He also feared that the tears welling in his own eyes would start to flow.

"Obi-wan," Vader sounded resigned. "You didn't...I mean...It wasn't just you."

"I could have done better. I _should_ have done better."

"You were so young when I became your padawan." He sounded uncertain, like he wasn't sure he wanted to go down this path yet. Obi-wan too was questioning his sanity for approaching the subject. But it had been all he could think about for five years.

Obi-wan shook his head defiantly. "You were much younger than I when you took Ahsoka on _and_ it was in the middle of a war."

"Yeah but...I was completely new to the Force. You didn't just have to be my Master, you had to teach me everything I would have learned as a youngling. I at least had some time to enjoy being an independent knight before I met Ahsoka but you went from padawan to master on the same day. And I was forced on you. If I had chosen to not take Ahsoka as an apprentice someone else would have. But Qui-gon made you promise with his dying breath to train me. You didn't really have a choice. I was just a burden you didn't deserve."

Obi-wan's words choked in his throat. Is that what he really thought?

"Anakin, you were _never_ a burden," He said softly, trying to expel as much reassurance into the Force between them as possible. Their bond was nearly destroyed, even if it seemed far more vibrant than it had in years, so he was forced to spread the feeling wide instead of directly into him. "You were at times a difficult student, but no more than any other at your age. And that did not make me value you any less. Your eagerness and brashness makes you who you are and I could never resent that. I could _never_ resent you. You are the only reason I made it through the time after Qui-gon's death. You were always there for me, even as you mourned him yourself and missed your mother. You insisted on taking care of _me_ when I was supposed to be caring for you. And I loved the moments I could return the favor."

They both remembered that time vividly. The months after the Trade Federation Blockade of Naboo were spent attempting to understand each other. Anakin was struggling to grasp how quickly his world had changed in a matter of days and Obi-wan, in a way, was going through the same experience. Every night for weeks he dreamed about Qui-gon's death, over analyzing every move he made and trying to figure out if and when he could have saved him. Anakin, still such a small boy, suffered his nightmares and homesickness, the latter a concept the Jedi were not familiar with. But he was such a kind child that he would do everything he could for Obi-wan. He would make sure his favorite tea was always stocked. He would get up early on particularly difficult nights and make breakfast. He would make sure Obi-wan childhood friends were nearby when it seemed like he might have a flashback.

For a long time it was impossible to think of that time positively, but at some point Obi-wan had started remembering it fondly. During those months he had agonized over caring for Anakin and worried that they were becoming too dependent on each other. Of course, years to come would prove that concern absolutely rights but they learned to use it to their advantage. He was constantly fretting that Anakin seemed to be doing more of the comforting. But at some point Obi-wan began to miss the small, loving boy Anakin had been even as much as he loved the brave, selfish young man he had become.

"Really?" Vader...or Anakin said softly. Obi-wan was pretty sure he was Anakin now. He sounded impossible small.

Obi-wan smiled internally. This was his son. His brother. "I haven't had much to do for the last five years except think. And I've realized that Qui-gon didn't just ask me to train you for you sake, I think he did it for me too. I needed you as much as, even more than, you needed me. I'm sorry if I never made sure you knew that. You were my favorite person, Anakin, as pig-headed and reckless as you are at times. I give anything for you to remain you."

He allowed himself to look at Anakin again. Whereas minutes before the dark suit of armor seemed to be perfect for him, now he looked out of place. There were tears slipping down his pale cheeks but he did not make a sound.

"M-master." Anakin croaked out. "I'm scared."

His heart broke.

"I'm scared I've lost myself. I thought...I thought that the Dark Side would show me who I was meant to be, but all its shown me is death. After Padme-" He choked on his words, "I thought there was nothing left...nothing left to come back to. I thought…" He shook his head. "I'm sorry Master."

"Oh dear one," The childhood nickname was smooth on his tongue, "It is me who should be sorry. I couldn't see you were in pain. I was too…" _Too good of a Jedi_, but it was too soon for that confession. "Too proud to see what you needed. I should have been there for you. I should have…" _Stopped Palpatine from digging his claws into you_. "I should have protected you. I was so certain..." _so clouded by the war, by Satine's death, by the constant danger he was placing the 212th in_, "I suppose I lost some of myself as well."

Anakin didn't speak for a while after that, self-consciously rubbing away tears and sniffling.

"Obi-wan, I've killed a lot of people. I tried to save them...sometimes...but most of the time I let it happen. How could you possibly forgive me for that?"

Obi-wan stopped for a moment, racking his brain for the right thing to say. "Honestly, I'm not sure how, but I can. I sense...I will always forgive you, Anakin. I thought I lost you completely on Mustafar. I thought that the boy I raised was gone forever, but I can see it now. You weren't gone, you had just lost your way." He took a seat next to Anakin. "I've lost you before, I won't do it again. So, in short, I guess there is nothing you could possibly do that would make me hate you. There is nothing you could do that I couldn't forgive, most likely against my better judgment," He chuckled slightly before another thought crossed his mind. "Trust, on the other hand, that is something to be earned back."

"I know."

Anakin stilled like he was trying to decide what to say next. Obi-wan could almost hear his thoughts moving a kilometer a minute, overwhelmed by the sudden change in his personality.

"What can I do?"

"Oh...I…" Obi-wan was unsure of what to say. Should he reassure the obviously distraught man or should he fall into old patterns? Anakin had often only responded to his scolding but now he worried that those moments had done more harm than good. "I suppose you must try to make it right."

"But how?"

"Well, you can start by figuring out whether Bail and Breha are alive…"

* * *

NOTE: So the originals were written before the prequels, obviously. That meant while Lucas had a lot of freedom with how they could look, a couple of things absoutely had to happen. The Clone Wars, Luke and Leia being born, Anakin going dark side, etc. In this iteration I kind of explored that philosophy and what exactly the implications of his writing process could be. It has been well-established that just because a notable prequel, Clone Wars, Rebels, or EU characters doesn't show up in the originals, that doesn't mean they're dead, just absent for the course of those movies. So here comes the idea that the prequels/destiny could have gone a number of ways as long as certain events stay in stone. The premature attack on Alderaan changed the story so drastically that fate is all screwy, which gave Qui-gon the chance to break through the barrier between life and death for a bit to try to help fix the universe. Make sense?

I mean, definitely not, but this is my story and I make the rules.

Cross posted on AO3


	3. Chandrila

They walked in complete, tense silence down the alleyway.

Ahsoka kept glancing over at Padme as if to remind herself that was real. When they were reunited there had been a moment of complete joy but then Ahsoka's head was swimming with the information. Padme was alive. Padme was here. But Padme's daughter had been raised by Bail Organa for five years. She had given her up.

To be honest, she didn't look _great_. There were heavy bags beneath her eyes. The Clone War had been stressful for everyone involved, but Padme had always seemed the picture of serenity even when Ahsoka knew she was not. She had been well-coiffed and manicured through the entire struggle, even when she had come face to face with death, which happened more often than it should have. Padme's naturally curly hair was tied into a simple ponytail at the back of her head, so plain compared to the elaborate hairstyles she had sported when she was a senator. She was definitely skinner, if that was possible. Their emotional embrace when they were reunited had revealed her dramatic weight loss as her bones had protruded awkwardly against Ahsoka. She was more tightly wound than Ahsoka had ever seen her, and she had seen her in the midst of assassination attempts. Every part of her body appeared inches from leaping into action, constantly on guard. And her smile didn't reach her eyes, but Ahsoka had yet to tell her Leia was there.

Ahsoka had kind of cowered away from the subject. She hadn't explained exactly why she was there yet, just hugged her tightly and whispered that she was glad she was alive. Neither had broached the subject of Obi-wan yet, or the destruction of Alderaan. She was sure that Padme was agonizing over that tidbit. Presumably, she knew her daughter had been adopted by the Organas. But she hadn't asked Ahsoka about her yet.

"Ben's dead." Padme said finally.

"I think so." Ahsoka had been too frightened to try to reach him the Force. She had felt too many bonds break when Order 66 was executed, she wasn't willing to feel it again. "He held them off as we got in the air. I don't-I can't imagine he survived."

Padme's brow wrinkled. "Surely he could have handled a few stormtroopers. Is it possible he was taken alive?"

"Darth Vader isn't in the business of taking prisoners."

Padme suddenly stopped. An anguish expression crossed her face, striking concern into Ahsoka's heart. "Vader was there." Her voice was thick.

Ahsoka nodded slowly. "He followed me from Alderaan, we think. The Emperor wouldn't have wanted to risk Obi-wan escaping so he would have ordered him executed immediately. A public execution would risk turning him into a martyr."

"Yes...of course." Padme swallowed.

"He left a message for you, however." Ahsoka started. "He told me to tell you that he did his best, but he failed."

"Oh." She said shortly, gazing, unfocused, at the ground ahead of her.

"Here we are." Ahsoka stopped in front of the motel. The quiet returned as they climbed the stairs to the room Ahsoka had rented.

"We had to leave, uh, Ben behind, but he had me pick up some...well I guess they must be friends, of his, Owen and Beru Lars and their neph-"

Padme's eyes widened and it was like a bomb had gone off in the Force around them. Ahsoka sensed Padme's heartbeat quicken suddenly. Everything seemed to fall into place in that instant. Why Obi-wan was on Tatooine. Why Owen and Beru had known Obi-wan so well and why they hadn't wanted him to train Luke. Why Luke seemed so strong and so similar to Leia in the Force. Why the kids had bonded so quickly.

Oh. _Oh_. That was why...Oh, Padme.

"Their nephew, Luke." Ahsoka breathed, her voice dropping a few octaves. "He's...you had twins, didn't you?"

"You know...about…?" Padme stuttered, so unlike the collected senator she had known.

Ahsoka smiled eagerly. "Oh, yes! Padme, Bail had me get Leia off of Alderaan before the palace was stormed. She's alright!"

The relief flowing through Padme was evident, even without the Force. Her entire body seemed to relax, no longer wound like a spring about to pop. "She's alright." Tears sprang to Padme's eyes. "She's alright." She repeated, clearly mostly to herself than to Ahsoka.

Then Padme froze again. "She's inside...they're both inside, aren't they?"

Ahsoka nodded, uncertain of what to make of her reaction. "Yes...do you want to see them."

Padme looked torn, like she was about to run like hell or rip the door off their inches. There was no inbetween.

"Ahsoka, you have to understand. When they were born…"

"I know." She said.

Padme regarded her strangely, "You know?"

"About their father? Of course." Ahsoka answered."They're both a lot like Anakin. They've got his kindness. I understand it must have been difficult when they were born." She sighed, "I miss him, but I can only imagine what you felt. Did you see him before he died?"

Padme's eyes flashed lightly. "I...I went to see him just before he...he died."

Ahsoka nodded solemnly. "Did he know about the twins?"

"Yes," Padme said, her eyes flickering to the door. "He did."

Her heart warmed, "I'm sure he was excited. He would have been a great father."

"Yes, he would have." Padme whispered before turning to her, her shoulders set. "I'm ready to see my children now, Ahsoka."

...

The moment Padme had glimpsed her children's faces for the first time she knew she had never loved anything like that before. It seemed impossible how much she loved them. She would do anything for them, fight anything. Even their father.

Carrying them for all those months hadn't even felt like this. It was magical, their steady and sometimes disruptive movement a constant reminder of her love. But when they were in her stomach they were more abstract. She had only acknowledged their presence to a few extremely trusted friends making their existence more of a fantasy than anything else.

And yet there they were. Perfect, angelic faces, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

She named them Luke and Leia, _light and grace_. Anakin had picked Leia the night she told him she was pregnant. He said Leia was the only word in Huttese that sounded beautiful. She had chosen Luke but she had never had the opportunity to tell him. Luke meant _light_ in an old Nubian dialect her grandmother had whispered to her when she was a child. She hadn't known what the words meant just that were filled with love.

They both had blue eyes, but the parenting holos said they might change as they got older. Luke, her sweet boy, was born bald, but her mischievous little Leia who had stayed hidden from the scanners for so long had tufts of dark hair growing along her scalp. She counted their fingers and toes a thousand times. They were technically a few weeks early, but the medical droids had assured her that it wasn't uncommon for multiples to be premature and that they would catch up quickly. Because of this they were abnormally small and unbelievably fragile. She could barely stand to let anyone else hold them. She was their mother. She was the only one that could protect them.

But she couldn't. She only barely survived the birth, thanks to Obi-wan's quick thinking with a healing trance. She had felt herself slipping away before he encompassed her with the Force, even as she fought to stay alive. Obi-wan had mentioned in a hushed tone that it wasn't just his power pulling her back. He was fairly certainly her hours-old children had participated in saving their mother as well. They had barely opened their eyes and they were already protecting her. And she was already failing them.

She hadn't wanted to leave them. She had deliberated and questioned for nearly an entire day before she decided. Master Yoda hadn't been shy with his opinion but Obi-wan had been more reserved. He seemed to genuinely not want to separate them, just like she did. But reason had won out. All three of them would be safer apart. If one was captured, Force forbid, the other two would still be safe.

And she knew she had more to do, more to give to the galaxy. She loved her babies more than anything else in her universe and there was no way she was going to let them grow up in such a broken world. She couldn't return to the Senate. Palpatine would steal her children away at the earliest opportunity, so it would have to be independent. A rebellion, network of honorable, like-minded individuals who refused to tolerate the new Emperor's tyranny.

But she also could not stand to put her children in harm's way with her actions. If they stayed with her, even in the most remote location, they would always have a target on their heads.

So, with a heavy heart, fighting the thought that she was the worst mother in the universe, she gave up her children. She placed Leia in the hands of a man she trusted more than anything, Bail Organa. Bail had accepted without question, but had debated whether completely adopting her was her was the best strategy. Padme had nearly broken her cool, Senatorial mask as she instructed them to raise her as their own. If she was to be protected against all things, everybody, including her daughter, needed to believe she was Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, daughter of Bail and Breha Organa, and not Leia Naberrie of Naboo, daughter of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala.

With tears streaming down her face she watched as Bail walked away with her baby and her eyes followed their ship as it climbed into the atmosphere.

At first she had tried to convince Obi-wan to take Luke, for both of her children to be in the care of men she knew would protect them forever. He had rejected her request, claiming with broken eyes that he had already failed one Skywalker boy and could not bare to fail another. They came to the conclusion that Luke would be safer in the outer rim, as keeping the children anywhere near each other could end up being disastrous. So Obi-wan escorted Padme to Tatooine to leave Luke with Anakin's step-brother and self-father. They arrived to find Clieg dead, but Owen married to the kind Beru. Padme had taken a liking to Beru when they had met all those years ago and felt significantly more comfortable with leaving her baby with relative strangers. Despite his reassurances to her that the Lars family was the right place for Luke, Obi-wan still elected to remain of Tatooine to watch over him. Beru, concerned that Padme would someday want a place in her son's life again, chose to keep Luke's family name and raise him honestly as their nephew instead of son.

Padme left Luke and Obi-wan on Tatooine with very little expectations of the future. She knew she wouldn't survive considering the paths forward. Either she would never see her children again or she would, many years in the future when all connection to her had been long severed in their minds.

And yet they were here. Hidden just behind a door, just out of reach, like they had been when she carried them during her pregnancy. Logically, she knew they were there but a small part of her subscious denied the truth, content to live in a bubble of ignorance forever. Would they remember her? Not her face or her name, but her presence, her touch. The way she had cradled them in the first days of their life. When she would feed one while Obi-wan burped the other, fulfilling the role of the father, though neither of them spoke of why he was needed as a substitute.

She had sung the songs her grandmother had sung to her, the meanings long forgotten but the feeling on her tongue never fading. She had murmured the poems their father had taught her, love stories in dead languages his own mother recited to him. She wondered, not for the first time and not for the last, what kind of father Anakin would have been. Would he have been strict and impatient like his temper often was? Or would he have been affectionate and generous like she knew his soul to be?

Before she could protest, Ahsoka knocked on the door.

A vaguely familiar voice sounded from behind it. "Who is it?"

"It's Ashla. I found my contact."

The door popped open to reveal Beru's tired face. Her blonde hair was falling out of her bun in wisps. She looked older after five years, unsurprising, but Padme wondered if some of that weariness had come from chasing a toddler around.

"Hello, Beru." Padme said with a weak smile.

Beru's jaw dropped. "You're Venus?" She squeaked before throwing herself into Padme's arms. She was suddenly reminded of how young Beru was. Owen was roughly Anakin's age, if a bit older, but Beru was younger than either of them. Too young to raise a child, but she had accepted it without question. "You're here! Please, come in, come in. I just out Luke down for the night but I can wake him if you-"

Padme held up her hand to stop her. "No, let them sleep." She still needed time. She wasn't sure if she was ready to unlock that door in her mind yet. "We have a lot to talk about."

They were guided into the main room. "Leia's had some difficulty sleeping. I tried calming her but I think Luke helped her." Beru began, unaware of Padme's sharp reaction to the casual mention of her children being together. "We put them in the same bed down the hall. I sent Owen out to find some food but neither of us were exactly sure what they eat here. I told him to get a bit of everything, but we're also running low on credits." Beru rambled.

"It's alright, Beru. I'll handle it." Padme said smoothly and honestly. Legally, she, Venus Andati, was on Senator's Mothma's payroll as a researcher. That was code for rebel informant.

She turned to them. "Oh, Padme, Luke is...he's wonderful! He's just a joy to be around. And Leia," Beru sighed, "She's yours too, isn't she? The child you spoke about when you left Luke with us. She's beautiful, just like you."

Ahsoka straightened beside her, startled. "You knew?"

Beru blushed, "Owen hasn't put it together yet, but there are few children Ben would go to such lengths for."

Before either of them could respond there was patter of feet down the hall.

Padme's breath froze in her lungs as a small, round face appeared from behind the door. She recognized her own rounded cheeks but her husband's dimpled chin. His blue eyes peeked out from underneath blonde hair, lighter than his father's had been since he was a boy. Tucked behind him, she saw her dark hair the same shade as her own and deep brown eyes, but she glimpsed her husband's nose set upon her daughter's face.

"Aunt Beru?" Luke asked. Her baby could talk! Of course he could talk, he was five years old. Padme's thoughts betrayed her as she longed to know his first words, see his first smile, witness his first steps. "Leia had a bad dream and we heard Ashla get home so we thought she could help us."

It was like one universe collided with another when Luke's curious gaze swiveled to her. His face broke out into an automatic smile, lighting up his soft blue eyes and making him look even more like his father. "Hey, I know you!" He frowned suddenly like he had forgotten something. "How do I know you?"

Padme wanted to say something, she wanted to exclaim and pull them both into her arms, but it seemed that she had lost the ability to speak.

"Ashla?" Leia said, speaking to someone she assumed was Ahsoka but with her gaze locked on Padme.

Ahsoka looked helplessly between them, clearly unsure of which one to comfort. Padme managed to gestured with her eyes to go to her when she physically could not. Ahsoka knelt beside Leia.

"Did you have a nightmare, little one?" Ahsoka asked gently.

Leia looked conflicted, as much as a five year old could. "I-I'm not sure. It started out bad but then it got good again. There were loud noises and lights like there was on Alderaan but then it went away and I was on a ship, I think. I felt weird at first but then it felt...safe. There were people there and they looked angry but then they weren't. I don't know." Leia sniffled, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm scared."

Padme's heart broke. She had separated her children only for them to end up in a place she had given them up to save them from. Her children had lost their homes and Leia was scared. In a moment of weakness she cursed Bail for getting involved in the Rebellion. It was what she had entrusted Leia to him to avoid. But she stopped herself. Bail had sacrificed so much for her daughter. She couldn't have asked him to stay out of the fight as well.

Luke looked immediately confused as Leia retold her dream. "I think I dreamed that too. I didn't have a bad dream like you did but I had a dream 'bout a ship. There were two guys talking to each other."

She did not have the energy to analyze that.

"They felt good not scary, though." Luke finished, looking to his aunt for support.

Ahsoka jumped in before Beru could respond. "You have both had difficult days. It's not surprising you had vivid dreams." She tapped Leia's head playfully. "You've just got a lot going on in there right now."

She had managed to coax a small smile out of Leia and Padme felt her heart lift. It was Anakin's grin stretching across her daughter's face.

"Leia." Padme breathed before she could stop herself.

The little girl's head whipped to her and she peered at Padme with narrow eyes. Her face softened slowly. "I know you."

Padme nodded. Her voice box felt like puddy. "You do, sweetheart." Tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh my baby."

Leia stared at her with eyes wide. "Are you...are you my other mother?"

Oh her baby. Oh her brilliant girl.

"Yes, Leia."

"Wait," Luke interrupted. "But I know you too. Are you my mommy too?"

"Yeah, sweetie. I'm your mommy too." Padme said. Her voice was heavy with emotion.

Luke's face split into a wide grin and he launched himself into his mother's arms. She caught him with a thud, pulling him close. If it hadn't felt real before, it did now. In her dreams she could never touch them. She would walk into the bedroom at Varykino to see Anakin under the covers with two tiny bodies. Their giggles would fill the room as he tickled and teased them. But when she tried to join in with the fun she would wake up. Every time, without fail.

But the dream didn't fade. Luke gripped her tighter. She was suddenly aware that his small body was shaking so she started to rub a steady pattern up and down his back. This would calm them in the womb when they were distressed.

He pulled away without warning, his round face speckled with tears. "Leia!" He said excitedly. "Come here!"

Leia tentatively drew closer. The moment she was in reach Luke dragged her into the embrace. She was stiff for a moment but then sank into her willfully.

"Mommy," Leia murmured against her chest.

Warm tears were flowing down her cheeks. If she had maintained any semblance of composure, that was fully abandoned. She attempted to keep her crying soft, keenly aware of the inquisitive ears of children. At some point Ahsoka and Beru had crept away to give them time alone but she was certain they were still nearby. Even if they recognized her on some subconscious level, she was still essentially a stranger to them, and she knew how quickly a kid's mood could shift.

"Why did you go away?" Luke asked. His blue eyes were exactly the shade of Anakin's. The glow to them in that moment was reminiscent of how Anakin's had shown during their conversation on her Nubian starship, just after they left Shmi on Tatooine.

"I'm so sorry, my babies." She sobbed, tightening her hold on them. It was like she couldn't get enough of them. She wanted them so close to her that they would become a part of her again. "I'm so sorry." She repeated, unable to say anything else.

They stayed there for so long Padme lost all sense of time. The only thing that existed was her and her children.

Padme finally pulled away, attempting to calm herself. "Oh, Luke, Leia." She spoke softly, still trying not to break the peace.

"Aunt Beru said you had to go away so that you could help people." Luke said. "Is that what you did? Are you here now because we need help?"

Padme shot Beru a look. They hadn't really spoken to the Lars about what they could say to Luke about his parents, nor Bail for that matter. She was vaguely aware that Leia knew she was adopted, the physical difference between her and the Organas too obvious. They hadn't wanted to her feel like she had been lied to, especially since there was already so much they couldn't tell her.

"You're right Lukie, I had to go away so I could help people. I...there was some important things I needed to do and I didn't want you two to get hurt because of it." She said through tears. "So I asked your aunt and uncle Luke," She rubbed his cheek gently, "And your...mother and father, Leia," She pulled a piece of dark hair out of Leia's eyes, revealing a wet red face, "To take care of you because I couldn't. I knew that they would _love_ you and _protect_ you just like I would."

"Why didn't you come visit?" Luke asked. He was like his cousin, Pooja, never without a question. Leia's silence did not escape her notice.

She bit her lip, unsure of how to express it to such young children and not upset them. "There are bad people out there who are looking for me. Partly because I want to help people and partly because they want to get to you."

She wasn't sure if it was a lie. She was pretty sure Anakin thought she or at least the children had died when everything happened. Palpatine wasn't actively seeking for her children, that much she knew, and her apparent death kept her picture off of the holonetwork, but she was still a rebel fugitive. Even if the Empire didn't have her likeness or her identity, they knew about an omnipresent rebel leader attempting to unite the small cells that had popped up. Ahsoka evidently had no idea it was actually her sending her on those missions to collect rebels, just like she hadn't known who Agent Fulcrum was. None of them knew everything, not even Bail, who was one of the few to know both her and Ahsoka's identities. He knew names and recruitments, he knew nothing about plans or places. But it was still dangerous. If he had been captured, Force willing, instead of killed there were multiple agents at risk.

"Are you leaving again?" Luke's voice was very quiet.

Her heart shattered and seemed to stab her lungs in the process. Before she could think words slipped out, but she knew them to be the truth. "Never. I will never leave you again. I'm here to stay, baby."

She had vowed to stay away because she knew that once she saw them she would not be able to leave again. But that promise had been broken, and there was no going back.

"What about my other Mamma and my Papa?" Leia asked softly, frowning deeply. A child that young should feel this sort of conflict.

She spoke slowly, carefully choosing her words. "Bail and Breha are my friends, and I love them for loving you so dearly. Ashla and I," she glanced at Ahsoka shortly, attempting to signal that she would need back-up. "Are going to do our best to get them back. I'm not asking-" She closed her eyes as her voice cracked, trying in vain to hold in her pain. "If we find them, I'm not asking for you to give them up if you don't want to." As much as she adores Bail and Breha for taking Leia there was something about the image of another woman comforting her daughter, another man rocking her to sleep, that made her stomach turn. "But, Leia, I would really love to be a part of your life."

Luke's eyes widened excitedly as he put the pieces together. "Leia! If your mommy is my mommy that means we're brother and sister!"

A little bit of certainty returned to Leia's eyes as she grinned brightly. "That's wonderful, Luke! I've always wanted a brother."

Luke turned to her, "Mommy," He tested it out, "Do you want to see what I drew yesterday on the starship," His face light up when he remembered his adventures the day before. He promptly launched into a detailed retelling of everything he had found on the ship he had arrived on Chandrila in. Liea contributed occasionally to fill in the gaps, but it was clear she was definitely not as passionate about mechanics as her new found brother.

They talked lightly for a while. Padme just basked in her children's presence, a feeling she thought she had lost forever. The little time had had with them when they were newborns had been the best of her life. She had soaked in every second she could before she had to give them away. She had held those memories close to her heart since then.

Padme could feel them get more comfortable with her will every passing moment. There was still some hesitancy in Leia, but Luke, just like his father, apparently jumped into everything with gusto, including being a son for the first time. He was naturally just a happy child, unburdened by pain and exhaustion like his sister was, and his father had been at that age. Every new detail meant a new tangent which made it almost impossible to follow his train of thought but Padme didn't care. She, just help from Leia, nudged him in the right direction sometimes, but it was also just so endearing to hear him ramble about some new thought that came to his mind.

They were both intelligent, that much was obvious, but Leia, at least at this point, seemed more calculating instead of engaged. She was suddenly reminded of Anakin. While he had worn his heart on his sleeve often, like Luke, he was also often difficult to read. He could rant for hours about trivial things, some unnecessary bureaucratic red tape that was irritating him, the inexplicable lack of taste of Republic ration bars, but when it came to deeper things he shut down. With her it usually took some prodding but she knew it was even more difficult for others to see what was beneath. For a moment, she worried her daughter had inherited that buried part of her husband, the same part she knew had materialized itself in Vader. But she forced the thoughts from her mind. Her children were here and they were safe and she was going to keep it that way.

There peace was broken by Owen barging through the door, yelling about the unnecessary amount of choices they had the market and why anyone would feel the need to produce that many different kinds of rice. He had dropped all the bags in his hands, along with his jaw, when he saw her in the front room kneeling next to the children. They had all laughed hard as he attempted to comprehend all of this, his eyes darting between them with confusion.

Owen Lars was a good man but he had intended to spend his life just like his father, raising a single child with a loving wife on the family farm. Padme recognized that this great upheaval would be taxing on Owen and Beru as much as it would be on the very impressionable children, more so even. Children were resilient and adaptable. Owen and Beru had had an idea of what their life would be but just had stolen that from them. She promised herself that they would find their sanctuary again, she would make sure of it.

The kids giggles had eventually dissolved as all three of them helped Owen pick up the food. Beru and Ahsoka materialized again, just in time for Beru to launch in operation in the kitchen. She had asked Padme if she wanted to help but she had just laughed. Anakin was the one with any degree of cooking expertise. Her skills were limited to heating up prepared foods and making one very specific Nabooian dish she had craved frequently during her pregnancy.

Their dinner was short and highlighted by the twins babbling about everything Padme had explained to them. They asked more questions about their birth and how two babies could be born at once. She dodged the singular question Luke had brought up about their father, promising to explain later. A quick head shake from Ahsoka had stopped them from pushing. Beru had done wonders with the food, which Owen had claimed was her super power. If she could make bland Tatooinian food taste good, then all of these wonderful spices and vegetables would be a cakewalk.

The more they talked, the more Padme remembered why she had trusted the Lars enough to give her son to them. They were genuinely good people. They cared about Luke more than she could have imagined but also spoke lightly about adopted another child if Padme was going to stay in his life. At first she had been concerned about Luke's reaction to his aunt and uncle's blatant mention of filling his hole in their lives, but he seemed unfazed. He only seemed excited about a potential cousin. Ahsoka had then mentioned the war orphans throughout the galaxy needing homes and the conversation took a darker turn towards the Empire. As the topic turned less than kid friendly, they all decided it was time for Luke and Leia to go to sleep. Ahsoka had mentioned that Leia hadn't had a full night's sleep since Alderaan which Padme immediately flagged. Her cagey behavior may be a symptom of her extreme exhaustion.

It was decided without debate that Padme would put the kids to bed. Her heart leapt at the thought of tucking her children in for the first time since she left them five years ago. Their room down the hall only had one bed but neither complained, they just snuggled closer.

"Mom...mommy...uh…" Leia stuttered. She had struggled to find the right name for Padme since they met. Luke was content with mommy, but Padme thought Leia was worried she would be betraying Breha somehow.

"Padme is find, sweetheart." She offered gently. She would take this slow, she had to.

"Are you going to be here in the morning?" Leia asked softly.

Padme nodded, "Yes, sweetie. I'm always going to be here, even when I'm not. Because even when you can't see me, I'm in here." She touched the area over Leia's heart. "Everyday I couldn't be with you, do you know what got me through? Because I know that no matter how far away a mother is from her children they are still connected." Her voice was almost a whisper. "It stretches through time and space and nothing can stop it. You are always with me and I am always with you. There is no force in the universe that break it."

Luke and Leia's eyes almost glowed in the darkness.

"Will you tell us a story?" Luke asked, even as his eyes drooped.

She grinned, "Have you ever heard the story of the pilot and the queen?"

They both shook their heads.

"Well this is a story of love and friendship and destiny. There are pirates and assassins, but also soldiers and brothers and heroes. Does that sound like a good story?"

They nodded in unison, eyes widening the dim light.

"Our story begins when a young queen was escaping a very scary monsters with the help of two heroes…"

The twins were fast asleep by the time the too-young queen met the even younger pilot. Padme slipped out of the room with a final look at her children's angelic faces beside each other.

Ahsoka was standing in the main room, lost in thought. Beru and Owen had apparently gone ot bed themselves, just as tired and unused to sudden change as the twins.

She glanced up as Padme floated into the room, utterly exhausted and overjoyed by the events of the last few hours.

"What now?" Ahsoka asked. Padme only now noticed how much older Ahsoka seemed. It wasn't sure her height and growth in her Lekku and Montrails. Her eyes were the eyes of a soldier who had seen too much, which, Padme supposed, was absolutely true. Ahsoka was twenty-two, she believed. The same age Anakin had been when everything happened. But Ahsoka had basically been in constant war since she was thirteen. That changes a person. The brief thought about the war forced Padme to realize that the destruction aftermath of the Clone War had now surpassed the length of the actual conflict. Padme and Anakin had been separated longer than they had been together. Maybe it was time to rectify that.

"It's time to get to work."

NOTE: Ahsoka Tano is my favorite character in all of Star Wars even if no one in my family (who have only seen the movies) know who she is. Try not to judge Padme too much. The day her kids were born happened to be the worst day of her life and she almost died. She did what she thought would protect them the most, even if entrusting Leia to Bail might not have been the best choice due to his own rebel activities. But in the original timeline apparently they were never even close to being caught? Whatever.

Cross posted on AO3


	4. The Twisted Mind of One Anakin Skywalker

**Disclaimed: Do I look/act/write like George Lucas/Dave Filoni/Walt Disney Studios? I think not**

He and Obi-wan parted ways immediately after they discussed the Organas. Obi-wan remained in the room they had spoken in for the night while he attended to his own. There was too much left unsaid between them. A part of him burned to have the conversation they purposely avoided but another part, equally as intense, never wanted to think of it again. He wanted to push those thoughts to the back of his mind and ignore them, just like he had for the last five years.

He crawled into his own bed, acutely aware of Obi-wan Kenobi's soothing presence down the hall. The trip to Tatooine had taken more out of him than he thought it did, particularly with Qui-gon Jinn banging on his skull the entire time. His head still burning and the only thing he could imagine that would relieve the pain was sleep.

Perhaps that was what was wrong with him. He was sleep deprived. Maybe he would wake up the next day and everything would be the same. These duplicitous thoughts cutting through his mind would be gone. He could go back to being Darth Vader again, menacing and cruel but sure in his intent. He would have the fortitude to slaughter Obi-wan Kenobi once and for all and everything would make sense.

So he slept, deeper than he had in years. He tried to convince himself it wasn't because of the glowing light meters away from him, inexplicably calming him just like he had been calmed when he was a scared boy in a cold, unfamiliar place.

His dreams began mercifully incorporeal. He was floating through mist without any concerns and terrors, but then he was slammed back into focus.

His angel's face appeared through the mist, soft and inviting, a crooked smile on her lips. It wasn't her diplomatic smile, it wasn't even the smile she used with her friends. It was a smile reserved just for him. She was laying on a bed, her mouth moving even if he could hear not words. He glanced down to see two little faces obscured by the mist.

A girl who looked like her and a boy that looked like him. Just as they had dreamed. Just as he dreamed now.

In the fantasy he saw his children looking at their mother with rapt attention, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. They were everything he could have ever hoped.

It was the nicest dream he had had in years.

The boy spoke but he could not hear it. His wife's body shook like she was laughing. He could imagine her laugh, like tinkling bells. Like the sound of Mrs. Wilkine's wind chimes when he was a kid.

He watched in awe as the children's eyelids get heavier over time, memorizing their faces, memorizing their mother's faces. But the moment their eyes closed completely, he was swept away.

The soft mist had turned into a storm, something he was more familiar with. Images, places, memories flashed before him. Some he recognized.

_He is the chosen one._

_Be brave and don't look back._

_I sense much fear in you_

_And I slaughtered them, like animals._

_You're breaking my heart. _

_You were my brother Anakin. I loved you._

_I HATE YOU!_

Some he did not.

_Promise me you will train the boy._

_I loved you always, I always will._

_So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause_

_I won't leave you again._

_Only you can change yourself. _

_Help me Obi-wan Kenobi, you're my only hope._

_I am a Jedi, like my father before me. _

_Just once, let me look at you with my own eyes._

The images flowed around him in unconnected bursts.

He saw himself, clad in his suit, brandishing his blood red lightsaber over a boy clinging to a platform.

He saw Obi-wan with that same boy, gazing longingly at him.

He saw Ahsoka standing in a room collapsing around her, with a resolute look in her eyes.

He saw a girl staring in horror as a planet was blown bits before her.

Rex on a forest planet. Ahsoka in a field of stars. Obi-wan in the desert. The boy in a cockpit. The girl in a control room.

He fought to gain control of the images, struggling to focus on one over the other.

Padme, covered in a sheen of sweat, smiling weakly. Ahsoka in the throne of Mandalore with twin blue lightsabers. Obi-wan, hair completely white, being cut down on a space station.

And the boy and girl again, this time beside another man and a wookie, standing beside each other on a forest planet, looking to the stars.

_This is a new day, a new beginning_

He awoke with a start.

Those...things. They swam in his head, burning brightly until they faded from his mind.

His headache was still there, aching in the back of his mind. Whatever Qui-gon had done to him was causing some...unfortunate side effects.

Padme in pain. Ahsoka's anger. Obi-wan alone. All things that had come to pass.

But those two kids that kept on popping up. They seemed familiar. Like a memory just out of reach.

He pulled him up and out of his bed room, limping down the hall. The chrono said he had only been asleep for less than an hour but it felt like he had either been asleep for either five minutes or five days.

Obi-wan hadn't emerged since they both went to bed since the common room was unchanged and his presence was still glittering down the hall.

He pulled up a chair to the table and put his head in his hands.

Kenobi was right about one thing. Well, he was right about a lot of things, but he wasn't really ready to admit that. His choices at the end of the Republic and the dawn of the Empire had taken more from him than he realized. Many of his...losses...were evident. Gaping holes in his heart, making space for the darkness to fill in. But there were others he hadn't noticed. Parts of himself that he hadn't thought about since Darth Vader was created.

He had insisted on being a different person. That Anakin Skywalker was weak so he died. Only he hadn't realized there were parts of Anakin he liked. He missed tinkering when he was bored. He missed flying with Ahsoka and Artoo. Oh Force, he missed _Artoo_. He hadn't thought about that little droid, one of his first friends, since everything changed. He wondered where his buddy had ended up, he prayed not the scrap heap. A plan graced his mind to try and find him, but Artoo had been loyal to Anakin, not Vader. There was no way he would accept him in this state.

On the other hand, Obi-wan had. Maybe surrounding himself with what he missed about Anakin, what little was left, would help. Obi-wan presence was surprisingly as calming to him as it had been when he was a boy. He had immediately trusted Qui-gon when he met him, mostly because he was a naive, naturally unsuspecting kid, but also because he had sensed a connection to...Qui-gon's companion in Watto's shop. But meeting Obi-wan a little later was different. They hadn't exactly gotten along at first. They were jealous of any attention Qui-gon gave the other, even though both had a ridiculous reasoning. Nevertheless, Anakin couldn't help liking Obi-wan. It was like the Force sang whenever they were near. It was the same thing that happened when he was with his mom and Ahsoka and…

He had sensed Ahsoka when he arrived on Alderaan. He wasn't exactly sure what it was at first, just felt a wave of familiarity and comfort wash over him for the first time in five years. As he searched deeper, he sensed her overhead beside a presence he vaguely recognized as Leia Organa. The princess' force signature was decidedly unremarkable but glowed with a spirit he had only recognized to be someone attuned to the Force, just not to the degree as other Jedi. He had briefly wondered why someone as powerful as Ahsoka Tano would be fleeing the battle instead of fighting, even if she is attempting to protect the small girl. The girl was rather insignificant except to her parents. As he approached Bail and Breha Organa a thought startled him. Bail had asked Ahsoka to protect what mattered most to him in this universe, his daughter. A dream he had long since stamped out broke through his mind. If his own child had survived, there were few others he would have asked to protect her than Ahsoka Tano.

In an attempt to banish that painful fantasy from his mind, he had reached out into the Force around him. He had intended to fill himself with the torture and suffering reverberating around him in the Force to fuel his connection to the Dark Side. To his utter astonishment, his own emotions turned to sorrow at the Alderaanian's people plight. He was not empowered by rage and hate like he had expected, like he had experienced just moments before, but with anguish and heartbreak and...remorse. He actually felt sorry for the pain he had a part in inflicting. The regret eating at his mind was like a monster ripping away at his soul.

Nearly overwhelmed by the feeling, he had pulled away from the Force.

"My Lord, we've found the king and queen." One of his men had said. They each still had names, as much as Imperial protocol dictated otherwise, but Vader did not care to know them. But now he had a devastating ache to know them each, like he had in the Clone War.

"Bring them to me." He had responded deeply. It was one of the most disconcerting parts of his...apparatus. He rarely wore the suit when he was in his quarters, but he also rarely spoke there because he was alone. When he did hear his voice it was warped and changed because of that blasted suit. Just another symbol that the Sith Lord Darth Vader was _not_ the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.

Bail and Breha Organa were dropped at his feet. Breha kept her head high like the queen she was, gazing at them with a superior look that Vader knew to be a mask. It was the same gaze he had seen on numerous leaders before. She was terrified.

Bail, on the other hand, kept his head down. Not in cowardice, that much Vader could tell, but as if he could not stand to look at him. He was not filled in fear like his wife was. He was filled with mourning. Mourning for his planet and his people... or for something else?

"Lord Vader, what is the meaning of this?" Breha spoke, rage leaking into her every word, betraying her diplomatic mask.

"My Lady, you and your husband have betrayed the Empire and will be dealt with accordingly." He had said with authority, even though his thoughts were swimming.

"And what of my people?" Breha had questioned, the glint in her eye familiar to Vader. It was the look of someone genuinely worried about others before themselves, not someone pretended to be concerned.

"They are citizens of the Empire," Vader said, carefully choosing his words in front of his men. "If they remain loyal, they will be spared." He intended to call off the attack as soon as possible. Beyond his own objections to massacres like this, the throbbing in his head was almost too much. "And you may be spared as well, if you pledge your loyalty to the Empire for all time."

"We already have!" Breha's composure was slipping, giving way to her panic. She had begun to beg. "We pledged our loyalty when the Empire was created. My husband resided his support of the Petition of 2000 and we swore fealty to our Emperor."

"You must actually mean it this time, my Lady." Vader had said, deadly calm.

"No," Organa spoke for the first time. His voice hoarse and intense with resentment, "No, I shall never pledge my loyalty to the Emperor again. I refuse to compromise my morals again, even if that means my life, Lord Vader." He looked up, glaring at him with an icy conviction. "I will never pledge my loyalty to the likes of you." Bail spat, staring Vader down. He had only briefly been acquainted with Bail during the days of the Republic, but he was under the impression that he was a rather soft spoken man. Passionate about his work, yes, but never this infuriated. There was something deeper fueling this reaction. He just didn't know what.

His hand went to his waist and rested on his lightsaber. He knew what happened next. He knew his orders and he knew the logical choice. Bail and Breha could not be allowed to become martyrs for their people. His men knew the protocol as well.

He had been seconds away from drawing his crimson lightsaber when a whisper appeared at the edge of his consciousness.

_Anakin_, The whisper had said, sounding suspiciously like Qui-gon Jinn. _They are good people. They don't deserve to die like this._

He stilled, unsure if this was some sort of vision or just a conscience trying to get him to make the right choice.

_He was her friend, Ani_. Qui-gon said. _Do it for her. She wouldn't want this._

He did not question who 'she' was. There was no reason to. Even if he was losing it, the voice in his head was correct. She was dead and the dead don't want for anything. However, he _could _dishonor her memory. He most certainly already had in all of his atrocities. But like he had chosen to save the younglings instead of let them die, he chose to save Bail and Breha Organa.

"Commander Appo." The veteran clone appeared at his side. "Take the Queen and Viceroy Organa to my ship and prepare them for transport to Coruscant."

He had taken pause once more, ignoring the soft murmurs in his mind to let the subject drop. Organa had been furious at his appearance, far more enraged than he had expected. There was a strong possibility that he had just heard the rumors of his Jedi killings, but he sensed there was more than he thought.

"Wait!" He ordered his men, gliding up next to Organa. He gripped his shoulder and pulled him closer. "What are you hiding?" He muttered.

Organa's eyes widened a fraction but he caught himself. To the untrained eye his face had been unchanged, but to Vader, he could see the panic evident in his expression.

He placed a finger to the Viceroy's temple and dug into his mind. The whispers in his mind were strangely silent, like it was reluctantly allowing this to happen. Organa was not Force sensitive whatsoever and had only the bare minimum of shields. It would not be difficult to extract what he needed, especially since it was conveniently floating on the surface.

"_Do you have a plan?" Bail asked, a figure just out of reach. _

"_Tatooine," An achingly familiar voice responded. "He hates that rock."_

"_Well, be safe my old friend." Bail reached out gripped Obi-wan's arm. "May the Force be with you."_

"_And with you. May we meet again one day."_

Vader had pulled out his mind, reeling.

Tatooine. Of karking course he was on Tatooine. How _stupid_ was he?

The voice had murmured to him a number of times on his journey to Tatooine, twice when he was about to kill an insolent officers and a few times as he contemplated all the glorious ways he was going to end Obi-wan Kenobi. He had sent a group of his most trusted men, all Clone War veterans, to escort the Organas to Coruscant. He explained why he left them alive to his master, only suffering through a few rounds of Force lightning before he got his point across. They were to be imprisoned, he explained, and tortured for information about the Rebellion. It actually made strategic sense, to his relief, but that damned voice again was telling him to do more to help them. He ignored it.

Arriving on Tatooine brought back...painful memories. Not just to his enslaved childhood but to the last two times he had been there. Once with Ahsoka on one of their first missions, but before that with..._her_. That time his mother had died in his arms and he had slaughtered a village. The memories of Ahsoka had reminded him that he had sensed her leaving with the princess and he wondered whether he would find her with Kenobi. He wouldn't be surprised since that was where Organa was thinking about.

His star destroyer skimmed the surface of the planet, scanning for lifeforms. He knew it was futile. There were so many settlements dotted across the planets that looking for lone individuals would just bring false results. He searched the Force himself for Kenobi, confident he could sense him despite his impressive shielding. There was no way he was stepping foot on that blasted dirtball until he absolutely had to. He found both of them at a small space port, nowhere near Mos Espa, where he had grown up. The port itself was not exactly an urban hub and just happened to be a landing zone because of its remote location.

He had landed in the sand just in time to see the ship seconds from take off, his former Padawan and master deflecting blaster bolts. He had a brief image of himself beside them, if life had been different. There was almost a hole between them, as well. Their formation was so instinctual, so well practiced, that they had left space for Anakin like in the Clone War. He had sensed Kenobi's realization of his presence, both through the Force and in his stance. Kenobi threw Ahsoka back just as the ship took off, leaving the old Jedi alone on the desert planet.

As he stalked towards his prey, Qui-gon's voice in his head got louder, almost deafening. He could barely concentrate, vaguely aware of Kenobi's feeble attempts to rile him up. His head felt like it was about to split open. Unable to do anything else, he acted on impulse.

There was no way he could tell his master he was hearing a Jedi's voice in his head _and_ that he was listening to it. The only other Force used in the galaxy that may be able to provide insight into his predicament was right in front of him. Pushing down his voluminous rage, he had his men knock Kenobi out instead of killing him as he intended. He hadn't even wanted to give Obi-wan was honor of death by combat. He was going to have him killed by firing squad like a common criminal. But apparently those plans were out the window.

He was already startled when Kenobi reacted with humor instead of animosity when they were on the Executor, so the appearance of Qui-gon Jinn's Force ghost just added to the confusion. Against his better judgment, he dropped his guard slightly, lulled into a sense of peace by Obi-wan's presence. He should have despised it. He should have driven his lightsaber through Obi-wan's chest the moment he could. He should have laid his body at his master's feet. But he didn't.

No...because for the first time in five years he felt like himself. He felt...calm. It wasn't Qui-gon's presence because the feelings lasted through his and Obi-wan entire conversation, after he had felt Qui-gon's spirit leave his mind. He thought that his throbbing skull had been a symptom of Qui-gon's interference but it persisted. It was like there were two sides of his fighting for dominance.

Obi-wan's sudden honesty hadn't exactly fueled the Dark Side either. He and his master had never been very...open with each other. Beyond the typical Jedi stoicism, they happened to be rather private people. They relied on each other and were attached to each other more than most other master/padawan pairs but they rarely expressed that sentiment with words. They leaned heavily on actions and gentle teasing. Like when he would always make Obi-wan favorite tea was stocked before he returned from a mission or when Obi-wan would ask him to spar when he was having a difficult day controlling his emotions. It was how they operated. But maybe...maybe that wasn't good enough.

He had been terrified to open up to Obi-wan when he started having dreams about..._her_...dying. Even more than the implications of revealing his relationship, he knew what Obi-wan would say, because it was what he said when he brought up the dreams about his mother. He needed to learn to let go. Focus on the present and not the future. Even all these years later, Anakin's blood boiled when he remembered those words. But Obi-wan was never good at words, just like Anakin.

He suddenly remembered those weeks after his mother died. Most of them had been filled with a honeymoon bliss, but he vividly recalled the pain of his prosthetic arm being attached. Obi-wan had stayed by his side throughout the entire excruciating experience, even taking some of his pain when it was just too much. He had even helped him choose something to cover it with, though he had advocated for leaving it bare. His metal arm was a symbol he survived and Obi-wan had wanted him to hide it.

He wasn't exactly sure when Obi-wan had learned that his mother died. He may have finally questioned why they had gone to Tatooine in the first place and then Anakin had caved. It was kind of a blur. He did remember when he came back from Naboo. Obi-wan had prepared all of his favorite foods, even springing for some ingredients you couldn't find cheap outside of Tatooine. Temple rations were not very flavorful so many Jedi had become adept at cooking to fill the gaps. It was one of the best ways to connect them to their homeworlds. Shaak Ti had invited Ahsoka for traditional Togruta meals more than once.

It wasn't until he was sure that Obi-wan wasn't going to suddenly emerge from his room that Anakin allowed himself to immerse himself in the Force. Mediation had never been easy for him, but he was used to enveloping himself in the Force. It was like a comfort blanket, something that had been there even when he didn't know it existed. Falling in the Force was easy, looking within himself in mediation was not.

But he persisted, searching deeper inside than he had in a long time, to his very core. The darkness was staggering, but the light was there as well, beating a rhythmic pulse inside him. It was like Qui-gon had opened a door that had been locked away. Not just closed, but hidden behind a wall of blackness. He was still encompassed by the Dark Side, he felt it flowing through his veins, but now there was some powerful competition.

He doubled his shields, unwilling to allow his master, Palpatine, to sense this change, if he hadn't already. It was like he had come to a fork in the road with every decision. One brought him closer to the light and one brought him closer to the dark. Before, the light path had been clouded from view, the only option further into the abyss. But now, they stood equal.

The darkness was empowering. It seeped into his every pore, filling him with hate and unbridled rage. There was no loss in the darkness, only victory and triumph. The Light Side meant pain. It meant remorse and repression and heartache. But, said a little voice in his head that was _not_ Qui-gon this time, it also meant joy. It was comfort and compassion and warmth, all things the Dark Side could _never_ bring.

But there was something he couldn't get past. He could manage the remorse and regret. It seemed like Qui-gon had opened the floodgates and, for all its faults, he wasn't prepared to slam the door again. But he couldn't deal with the repression of the Jedi again. Opening up with Obi-wan, as brief as it was, was the best he had felt since he was...well ever.

He had been a good kid. He was a slave but he had his mother. And he knew he could do a lot worse than that sleemo Watto. But he had been forced to shield his resentment towards his situation for his mother's sanity and to keep Watto from punishing him. He had never been able to show his fear, not truly.

That continued through his training as a Jedi. He was naturally an emotional person. He did not have Obi-wan's stone face. His was glass, exposing every thought and feeling to the world. The Jedi taught to ignore your emotions and release them through the Force. But he was just never good at that.

The Jedi were selfless. Anytime spent dwelling on yourself meant you were losing time helping others. But Anakin knew the Jedi's practice of not thinking of oneself got many Jedi killed or injured during the war, including himself and Obi-wan. It certainly drove the clones insane. He couldn't count the number of times Kix had threatened to handcuff him to his bed when he was injured but insisted on working. Obi-wan was even worse than he was, leading men into battle when he had actually been inches from death the day before.

He didn't want to be a Jedi again. But he didn't want to be a sith again. His master had taken so much from him. Qui-gon was right. Palpatine had manipulated him, stealing parts of himself away before there was barely anything left. He had molded him into the perfect apprentice, the perfect enforcer. Obi-wan hadn't wanted a perfect apprentice (and he certainly hadn't gotten one), he had just wanted Anakin.

He knew what he needed to do, even if he was still conflicted. He had known honorable Imperial officers. Most were conscripted or chose to join because of the pay and benefits. Many had fallen for Palpatine's tricks and believed that the Empire was justified, turning a blind eye towards its atrocities because they trusted the system. There were only some, mostly the highest ranking officers, who actually, organically, agreed with Palpatine's propaganda. They were the only ones who deserved to be punished, not the nameless soldiers who were just doing their job.

How could he join a rebellion who's main name goal was killed his men? Killing Palpatine, that was a different story. Stopping the carnage was a priority. Ending the Empire and restoring the Republic was less attractive to him, but not necessarily a bad thing. But destroying the millions of stormtroopers who had involuntarily, or voluntarily for that matter, joined the Imperial army and navy? He wasn't sure he could support that. That made them no better than the Separatists, slaughtering his men by the thousands. He had lost count of the men he had lost pretty early on in the war. He hadn't allowed himself to mourn every death or he wouldn't stop, but there were a few he could never forget. Like Echo and Hardcase and Tup and...

_The Clones._

The idea sliced through his mind. He checked his star maps quickly. And then the database. Yes, yes, this could work.

He slipped his helmet and barked through his comm, "Ozzel."

"Yes, Lord Vader." The clipped, Coruscanti accent came through his communicator.

"I need to get in contact with clone trooper CC-2224. Bring him to me as soon as possible. No delays, Admiral."

"Yes, my Lord."

Perhaps this will regain Obi-wan's trust.

* * *

NOTE: He's doing his best. Just be patient.

The images/words in his dream are obviously from all across Star Wars. Think the scene in Rebels when Ezra's in the World Between Worlds and hears like all of Star Wars at once, that sort of effect.

Here are their sources if you're curious:

Words:

Qui-gon, Phantom Menace

Shmi, Phantom Menace

Yoda, Phantom Menace

Anakin, Attack of the Clones

Padme, Revenge of the Sith

Obi-wan, Revenge of the Sith

Anakin, Revenge of the Sith

Qui-gon, Phantom Menace

Satine, Clone Wars "The Lawless"

Padme, Revenge of the Sith

Ahsoka, Rebels "Twilight of the Apprentice"

Bendu, Rebels "Steps into Shadow"

Leia, A New Hope

Luke, Return of the Jedi

Anakin, Return of the Jedi

Images:

Empire Strike Back

A New Hope

"Twlight of the Apprentice"

A New Hope

Return of the Jedi

"World Between Worlds"

A New Hope

Revenge of the Sith

Sometimes in season 7 of Clone Wars

A New Hope

Return of the Jedi

Last little bit:

Ahsoka, Rebels "Fire Across the Galaxy"

Cross posted on AO3


	5. A Plan

A Plan

Disclaimer: So don't own this, but I did write this.

"Maybe you're being recruited to join Vader's Fist!" One of his trainees, Kyle, said excitedly.

Marshal Commander Cody didn't really know what to expect when he learned he had been summoned to the Executor, Darth Vader's flagship. Nothing good, probably.

"I heard that his personal battalion is only made up of clone troopers, no stormtroopers allowed." Another one, Mi'ana, said.

Cody didn't mention to her that that was because Vader didn't think the new stormtroopers were the same caliber as the GAR's troopers. He also didn't mention that he absolutely agreed with him. The squad he was training at the moment was mercifully eager to learn, but their lax discipline made him miss his brothers. It wasn't their fault, not entirely, but the new Imperial recruits didn't understand each other like the clones had. There had been times during the war when orders were just a formality. Each of his brothers knew each other so well that they could anticipate their plans long before they were hatched.

He had considered leaving the army when the clones were decommissioned but he ended up taking a position as an instructor at an Imperial academy. He just couldn't imagine doing anything other than being a soldier. But he also couldn't imagine serving in any army except the Republic so he denied any offer for a higher ranking position in the Empire. There was just too much...he didn't want to fight alongside anyone other than the 212th again.

"They say that Vader's Fist is made up of the best clone troopers that the Republic had." Mi'ana continued.

He had to stop himself from snorting. That sounded like some _osik_ the boys from the 501st would make up to make themselves seem better than the rest of GAR. Of course, the stories weren't always an exaggeration.

"Attention, men." He called, ignoring his squad's yammering, "Captain Karima is in command until I get back. I expected a good report when I return.

* * *

The Imperial star destroyers had relatively the same design and layout as Venerator-Class Republic Cruisers, unsurprising since the same production lines had just been tweaked for the new ships. Cody knew the layout of a Venerator-Class cruiser like the back of his hand so he knew he was being led down a fairly untraveled region of the ship when he arrived on the Executor. This did not help his nerves.

He was led along a hallway deep in the bows of the ship by two members of the First Legion. He hadn't asked their names but he longed to know who was behind those helmets and whether he had fought beside them. Clones active in the Imperial army were becoming increasingly rare, so much so that he hadn't seen someone he knew in the war in months. But these were the 501st, mostly Torrent Company if the rumors were true, and he had fought and died alongside them for years.

It was then that he realized he was being brought to the personal quarters regions of the ship. This was a foreign concept to him as the admirals and generals of the GAR had bunks just like the troopers and not extensive chambers. There had been officers' lounges but most leaders only received a few more feet of space than their subordinates.

But...this meant he was being escorted to the _personal_ chambers of someone important. And since he was accompanied by _Vader's_ battalion...oh.

Well, okay. He'd dealt with worse...sort of. He was pretty sure Darth Vader would not take his refusal of service lightly.

"Here he is, my Lord." One of the troopers beside him said as they arrived at some sort of chamber. His accented voice was the mirror to his own.

Whoever was in the chamber was not visible for the moment, but his voice was deep. "Leave him here. Thank you, Commander."

So Lord Vader says thank you. That's...unexpected.

It seemed both troopers flanking him were equally as confused by Vader's politeness, but they left without question.

"Commander Cody." Vader was still not in sight. "It's good to-"

Whatever he was going to say next was lost as something heavy hit from the side and he fell unconscious.

His last thought before he hit was ground was, _damn this stupid useless stormtrooper armor_.

* * *

Cody felt...different. Lighter somehow, and clearer, like he was coming out of a fog. Like he had just woken up from anesthesia but not quite. More like he had finally found relief from a headache.

From...a nightmare.

_Oh_.

He reached up to rub his scalp where he knew the scar would be. Sure enough, a thin slice now existed on the side of his head. Matching the one he knew Rex had.

"Cody." The deep voice he knew to be Darth Vader said. "How do you feel?"

Sure enough, the Sith Lord was standing in the room beside a medical droid.

"I'm...you removed my chip." He said blankly.

"Yes," Vader tilted his head a fraction, "Do you feel any different?"

_Yes_, he wanted to say. He wanted to yell it from the rooftops. He felt free. He felt clearer than he ever had before. But Vader, the _Jetii kyramud_, would never want to hear that. "No." He finally replied.

To his surprise, Vader visibly _deflated_, like it was bad news. But then he lifted again. "You're lying." He said with certainty.

His mouth dried, "I, uh, I didn't, umm...General?" He asked incredulously.

Holy kriffing shab. Obi-wan karking Kenobi emerged from behind the imposing figure before him.

It seemed, for once in his life, his general was speechless. Both general and commander stared at each like they had seen a ghost, and for Cody, he really had.

"Damnit, Obi-wan. It was supposed to be a surprise!" Vader said, in an extremely uncharacteristic tone.

General Kenobi's mouth opened and closed like a fish.

Cody felt his mind explode for the second time in as many seconds as Vader lifted his mask off, revealing the face of one Anakin Skywalker.

"Anakin!" Obi-wan screeched. "What have you done?"

Skywalker looked offended, "I thought you'd be happy! I found Cody and removed his chip."

"Bu-but-but-" Kenobi sputtered.

General Skywalker whipped around to him, "Do you have an overwhelming urge to kill us?"

He searched the back of his mind for the constant, underlying hatred that had plagued him for five years. Hatred of the Jedi for betraying the Republic. Hatred at himself for not seeing the treachery before it was too late. Hatred at Rex for abandoning his duty. Hatred at Obi-wan for making him trust him. But the search came up blank. All of that burning aggressive had just vanished, replaced with clarity and guilt.

Cody shook his head slowly, still trying to wrap his head around this mess. Oh, where was Rex when you needed him? He was better at thinking on his feet like this.

Skywalker's face brightened, "See, Obi-wan. All better."

"No, not all better, Anakin," Obi-wan said through gritted teeth. "What in sith's hell seems better about this?"

"Well, I thought it would be this nice reunion, but there's just all this tension and I'm feeling pretty uncomfortable right now, to be honest." Anakin rambled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, I wonder why!" Obi-wan exclaimed angrily.

"Uh, Generals?" Cody asked hesitantly, "What exactly is going on here? Are you," He gestured towards Skywalker, "Actually Darth Vader? And you," He pointed at Kenobi, "I'm not particularly surprised, but how are you still alive?"

His attempt to engage was only met with Kenobi and Skywalker (Vader?) leaning deeper into their argument. _This_ he could believe. To anyone else his two generals barely tolerated each other, but he, a brother himself, recognized the sibling, begrudgingly unconditional love between them.

"Shut up!" Cody resorted to yelling. Oh, if Rex could see him now

Both men stopped short, their attention momentarily drawn to the uncharacteristically crass clone.

But Cody had had _enough_. His head was swimming, and not just because a mind-control chip that had been in his brain his entire life was just _gone_.

"I'm going to need a little context, General." He instinctively addressed Kenobi, even though he consciously knew he had no right. He had tried his best to kill him. It had taken all his reserved willpower to not send armies after Kenobi even though every part of his programming had been screaming at him to not stop until they had a body.

Kenobi raised an eyebrow at him, "Well, Commander Cody. The men of the 212th are worse shots than I thought they were. Anakin is Darth Vader. And apparently he has lost all sense in the process." He growled the last sentence, glaring at Skywalker.

Skywalker spread his hand in surrender. "Sue me for trying to do something nice for you."

"The 212th aren't lousy shots," Cody defended immediately. His mind was quaking with the memory. "They were all resisting as much as they could…I think."

If he was being honest, that entire day was a blur. Even the parts before the chips were activated had seemed hazy for years. But his memories were clearer now, for the entire war in fact. With his chip every memory of the war was tinged gray, so much so that he had convinced himself there had been warning signs about the Jedi's "deception." He could see now that it was all bantha poo. Just part of the manipulation.

Obi-wan stared back at him with surprise. "Ahsoka mentioned the chips...I wasn't sure if it was the whole story."

"You didn't think we actually wanted to kill you, did you?" Cody asked incredulously.

Kenobi didn't answer.

"General, I never would have allowed that to happen. If I…" He trailed off as another memory returned to him.

"_Come on Cody, _vod_." Rex begged. "I've got Wolffe on board. I need you too." _

_Cody ignored him and continued filing his paperwork._

"_I know if I convince you we could convince everyone else. They'll follow you, Cody. Please."_

_Cody shook his head resolutely. "We must have been given those chips, which I'm still not convinced about, for a reason, Rex. I don't think we should mess with it." He drew himself to his full height to look him in the eye. "Besides, this is treason."_

_Rex's eyes narrowed. "What they are doing to us is wrong." _

"_You're starting to sound like a deserter, Rex, like a traitor."_

"_Better a traitor than lose my free will." He turned away angrily. "We'll talk again when I get back from Mandalore. Kix is working on something that might give us a chance. Just...think about it."_

_Cody nodded even though they both knew his mind was made up. _

"Rex knew." He said, barely above a whisper.

Obi-wan nodded solemnly, "He got Ahsoka off of Mandalore during Order 66. I'm not sure where he ended up, but Ahsoka seemed to think he was still alive."

Skywalker looked momentarily outraged, "You didn't tell me that!"

Kenobi heaved a sigh that was reserved for his former padawan. "There are a number of things I haven't gotten to yet, Anakin."

Skywalker rolled his eyes but then his face grew grave. "Rex knew from Fives. He figured it out before he died. It's probably what got him killed."

Cody remembered the incident vividly. He hadn't been directly involved but he had certainly gotten drunk with Rex afterwards. He had been with the captain when they found the Domino Squad on the Rishi Moon. It was one of the events of the war that stuck in his mind the most, the memory of those brave but reckless shinies and the unbelievable op they had managed to pull off. Rex had immediately claimed them for the 501st but Cody had privately always considered them honorary members of the 212th. They were certainly loyal enough.

"So we did have a chance." Kenobi's eyes wandered like he was drifting into thought. "We could have taken the opportunity Fives handed us to investigate the cloning process more fully but we didn't." He shut his eyes. "Another mistake on a never ending list."

"I know Rex was alive. He found me after the war." Cody remembered.

"_Leave with me." Rex cried when they met again, a week after Order 66. "The Empire is _not _the Republic._

_Cody, hardened by the Jedi's betrayal and wound up by the chip working diligently in his skull, denied him immediately. "Good soldiers follow orders."_

_Rex looked horrified but then his face stiffened into the mask of one of the best captains in the GAR. "Then you are lost. I'm sorry, _vod_."_

"Why did you bring me here?" Cody asked skeptically, dragging himself out of the painful memory. "Just to see the General?"

Skywalker shook his head, "I mean, yeah. But there's more. I need your help."

General Kenobi gave Skywalker a side-eye. "What are you planning?"

The younger man grinned. "I'm not the biggest fan of the Rebellion's tactics, but I get why they have to do what they're doing. They just don't have the numbers for all out war so they've resorted to ops that don't require many hands, stealth bombings and shipment highjackings. Unfortunately those types of attacks often cause more civilian casualties. They disrupt Imperial processes but not enough to cause any real damage and often just screw the native populations rather than the Imperials," He explained, "What the rebels need is an army."

Kenobi sighed. "I'm sure they've tried to recruit one, but the systems that are sympathetic to the Alliance also need to keep up appearances in the Empire or they will face the consequences, like Alderaan."

"That's what I'm trying to say. They don't need civilian recruitments. We have the best army in the history of the galaxy right under our noses, they're just incapacitated at the moment."

A realization dawned on Cody. "You want to free the clones."

Skywalker scowled but he was pretty sure it wasn't aimed at him. "The clone troopers were treated no better than slaves. At the first sign of insubordination they had their will taken away from them. The Jedi were not innocent in that treatment," He snorted under his breath, "But the Emperor is the worst arbiter. It was Palpatine who held the sole power of the inhibitor chips." Skywalker sneered at Palpatine's name. "We used clones instead of droids because you could think independently, you knew right from wrong, but we treated you like mindless automatons. You weren't-aren't. You are living, breathing people who we led to the slaughter."

Cody didn't entirely agree with his assessment. Sure he was bred for battle, but he honestly couldn't think of anything else he would want to do. _He_ was a soldier. But he had known clones who had other talents that they had been forced to sacrifice for the war. The Jedi treated the clones better than any other leader in the war. Save for a few notable exceptions (that sithspawn Krell), the clones were considered equals to the Jedi, a part of the team. But Cody understood what he was saying. Palaptine _was _to blame.

"We weren't given the opportunity to decide whether we thought Order 66 was right or wrong." Cody finished for Skywalker. "We had our free will taken from us."

"Do you think that, if given the choice, the clones would betray the Empire?" Skywalker asked eagerly.

"Yes." He didn't have to think about it. If de-chipped clones realized it was the Emperor that made them murder their beloved Jedi generals and commanders, there was nothing that would stand in their way.

"That's completely unrealistic, Anakin." Kenobi spoke up, staring his former apprentice down. "How on Coruscant are you planning to remove every single chip in the GAR?"

Skywalker smirked. "I'm not. We just need to find a way to shut them down." He turned to Cody next. "That's where you come in. I need you to follow the leads we can't and find a way to turn off the chips on mass."

"How do you know such a thing exists?" Kenobi questioned before Cody could react.

"The Kaminoans never would have installed a system like that without a failsafe." Cody answered for him. "With the war over they still need something to hold over the Emperor."

Skywalker made a gesture that could only be described as 'duh.'

"So Kamino then?" Kenobi reasoned.

"Maybe, but it will be well guarded. They want leverage, not a death warrant if someone hijacks it." Cody said, falling into an old strategy repore.

"You think you can get it done?" Skywalker asked.

Cody nodded, his mind already analyzing all possible approaches. "I think so, but not alone." His chest tightened at what he was thinking. There was only one person in the galaxy he knew he could trust with this assignment, and that person currently despised him. "I need Rex."

Skywalker's eyes widened, "You think you can find him?"

He considered for a moment. "Yes. I know I can."

General Skywalker regarded him with a smile. "Well then, Marshal Commander Cody. You are being officially reassigned from the Imperial training Academy to Lord Vader's personal battalion. Welcome aboard." He held out his hand. Cody gripped it tightly. Just like the old days.

Skywalker conveniently disappeared after that, leaving Cody and his general standing in awkward silence.

"Well," Obi-wan cleared his throat. "Despite everything...it's good to see you."

Cody allowed the corners of his mouth to twitch up slightly. "Good to see you, too, General."

Kenobi waved his hand. "I'm not a general anymore, Cody."

"You'll always be my general." Cody said automatically.

Obi-wan's face was lit up by the ghost of a smile.

"I was being honest, sir. None of the 212th would have what we did without those damn chips, even now-" Cody fought to keep his eyes from watering. "I'm sorry."

"Cody," He said firmly. "I understand. There's nothing to be sorry for. Before I was just…" He sighed heavily. "I was very lost and angry and I couldn't decide who to blame. I always wondered about the chips but I couldn't be sure. I wanted to miss you and the men but I couldn't because you had betrayed me." At Cody's stricken look he continued quickly, "Even though you had no control over your actions. I understand that now. Those days after the war…" Obi-wan trailed off, his eyes taking on a faraway look. "I should have done more. I should have tried to find you after the war but I had...other duties."

Cody shook his head. "It wouldn't have done much good. Up until about ten minutes ago, I really wanted to kill you."

Obi-wan chuckled and Cody's spirits lifted. Yeah, just like the old days.

* * *

After Cody had left to his newly assigned barracks, Obi-wan and Anakin were left in an uncomfortable silence.

"Well, Anakin. That was...unexpected." Obi-wan sighed.

The younger man grinned. "But good, right?" Despite his nonchalant expression Obi-wan could sense uncertainty bubbling under the surface.

"I...thank you." There was not much else to say on the subject. Seeing Cody had been...an experience. Not just for the fact that he had missed his formerly traitorous friend and partner, but because Cody represented a part of him that had long been dormant. If Anakin had brought back the somewhat frazzled Jedi teacher and old brother part of him, Cody would bring back the general part, something he had fought to forget. Despite all of his overtures of peace, Obi-wan was a naturally talented general, and, as much as he hated to admit it, he sometimes enjoyed the strategy portion of the job. "But there's more to this than Cody. You're actually going to work with the rebellion? Beyond promising to save Bail?"

Anakin hesitated before nodding. "The Empire needs to be stopped. If the Rebellion is the best way to do it, then I guess I am."

Obi-wan's breath froze in his lungs. Perhaps now was the time? The time to tell Anakin about Padme and the twins. He knew if he waited too long Anakin would hate him for lying. But still…

"I'm glad that's the conclusion you've come to." He responded, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not entirely well versed in the rebellion's activities, but I do know call signs that will help us get in contact with them. Ahsoka, for one, will be able to extract us with-"

"I'm not leaving the Empire." Anakin said abruptly. Obi-wan raised an eyebrow. "I'm more useful here. And besides, I doubt they'd welcome me with open arms."

_You wouldn't be saying that if you knew who you would be coming home to_. Obi-wan thought, but he kept this to himself.

"You can go if you want. There's nothing stopping you." Anakin said shortly, puffing out his chest slightly.

Obi-wan fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Oh no. I'm needed here. You heard Qui-gon, someone has to keep you on the right track."

A smile spread across Anakin's lips, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks, master. I'm appalled by your lack of faith in me." He joked.

"Anakin, I have more faith than you know."

But not enough apparently, because there was still some force keeping him from telling the whole truth. Every time he tried to form the words, it was like he was held back by something.

Anakin waved it off. "I understand, Master. Don't want me going full Vader again."

He said it with a humorous lilt, but there was something hidden behind it.

"You are concerned about that, aren't you?" Obi-wan said carefully.

Skywalker swallowed hard. "I'm...I don't know. Not exactly. I don't feel...I don't feel like Vader. Actually, I feel more like myself than I have in a while." It was true. Everything about him seemed different than the day before. His voice was lighter, his posture not so rigid. Smiles came easier and every word had his signature sarcastic shine. "I'm just...I'm worried that I'll wake up one day and not be myself again."

"Well, we'll just have to stop that from happening."

There was a pause for a few seconds after his words. Not awkward and stifling like their periods of silence had been in the last day, but easy and comfortable.

"You're sure you want to stay?" Obi-wan said.

Anakin nodded obstinately, "Palpatine is definitely hiding some things from me, but I can do more here than anywhere else. I have access to secret projects and battle locations. I bet the rebels need an informant. They won't be able to act on everything, but we could probably make more of a change for now imbedded in the Empire rather than working against it." His composure slipped. "And...I think I need a way for me to prove myself. Ahsoka might be okay with me coming back, but if the others are going to trust me, I need to gain it." He winked, referencing Obi-wan's condition to their partnership. "I don't want to be a Jedi again." He clarified quickly. Apparently Obi-wan's hopeful look was too obvious. "There's too much, um, stuff there. But I don't think I can handle the Dark Side anymore. It...it hurts."

Trust.

_Trust._

"There are things I haven't told you." Obi-wan said. _Things I'm not sure you're ready to hear._

"I know." Anakin swallowed thickly. "Trust goes both ways. You'll tell me eventually." He shrugged, looking a little sheepish, "I'll just have to learn to be patient. Not exactly my strong suit."

Obi-wan laughed at the face Anakin made, "Very true." He ran a hand through his hair. "So what's our part in this plan, hmmm. Oh great leader and apparently, rebel." Obi-wan wiggled his eyebrow as a challenge. "Do we get some magnificent mission like Cody?"

Anakin smirked. "Not as glamorous. Qui-gon spoke about the Death Star. Right now it's in its infancy right now, but if it's completed like he said it would have the power to destroy worlds. It everything goes to plan, it will be the size of a small moon and the power of a hundred star destroyers and essentially be unstoppable." His voice sounded far away.

"Then I guess it's our duty to make sure that doesn't happen."

* * *

"General Kenobi's dead. You're sure of it?" Mon Mothma asked in a hushed tone.

They were in a secret bunker underneath the capital building of Hanna City. Venus Andati was technically one of Senator Mothma's many research assistants so she was allowed easy access in and out of the center. Her associate, Ashla Tano, was applying for a job herself.

"I'm almost certain." Ahsoka replied grimly. She had finally built up the courage to look for Obi-wan in the Force. Either he was dead, shielding heavily, or had some sort of Force inhibitor blocking him out because she couldn't sense him anywhere. None of those options boded well. "But there's still a chance. We should keep a lookout."

Padme swallowed thickly, forcing down the implications of whatever had happened to Obi-wan. Either Vader had murdered him in cold blood or was torturing him to his limits. Or...the other possibility seemed unthinkable for her own sanity. Anakin was holding him alive and safe and maybe, just maybe he was…

No.

No, her husband was gone. Her children's father was dead and the monster that took his place had just murdered his best friend.

She thought once more about telling Ahsoka about Vader but vanquished the thought from her mind. Vader was a monster. There was a time she had been convinced there was still good in Anakin or...at least she had tried to convince Obi-wan of that. She had been delirious from an extremely traumatic birth and hadn't known what had happened to her husband. It wasn't until she regained consciousness to Obi-wan rocking Luke at her side that she grasped the full scale of the conflict. Obi-wan was alive because Anakin...was not.

Padme's whispered words that she had intended to be her last had been more for Obi-wan and her children's sake than for her own. If she wasn't going to live to protect them then their father must be around to take up that role. She needed it to be true. She needed Obi-wan to believe it so that he would continue to fight.

But everyday she received a new report about some atrocity that was attributed to Vader, she lost a little more faith. She was wrong. He had done the unthinkable. For her own sanity she could not believe that it was her husband doing this. She was constantly at war with herself. Desperately wanting her husband back and despising Darth Vader to her very core.

It wouldn't do any good to tell Ahsoka that. At least one person should be allowed to remember Anakin without the shadow of Vader hanging over them. Ahsoka had already been through so much. Padme didn't want her memories of Anakin to be tarnished beyond repair like hers were.

"We've received a transmission from an agent within the Empire last night. Codename: Watchman." Mothma began, pulling up something on the holotable in the center of the room. "No one can confirm the validity of the source but it's the only lead we have on the Organas."

"Alliance, this is Imperial spy codename Watchman." A warped voice spoke from the console. "I don't have the exact location of Fox and Willow-"

"Bail and Breha's codenames." Mon interrupted.

"But I can give you a lead. The prisoner transport that took them from Alderaan was under the direct jurisdiction of Admiral Tarkin and had the ID number 54-223. You find that transport, you have a chance to find the Organas."

Ahsoka hit the pause button. "That's all well and good but how can we trust this information. We have no idea who they are." She argued, dissecting the information in her mind.

Mothma raised an eyebrow. "You may not know them, but apparently they know you." She hit play and the audio recording continued.

"I am aware you have no reason to believe me, but the agent you call Fulcrum once trusted me. I hope she can find a way to do it again. Q-16." The recording stopped. The air was still in the room.

Padme spoke first, voice high and clear but laced with caution. "This is absolutely the only lead we have on the Organas?"

Mothma nodded.

"Did they give any indication you actually know them?" Padme turned to Ahsoka. "What did those numbers mean at the end?"

Ahsoka rubbed her chin, a habit inadvertently picked up from Obi-wan. "The numbers were grid coordinates but I'm not sure for which planet. I guess they know me. Maybe someone from the Senate I used to work with?"

Padme sighed, "We've got nothing else to go off of. I guess...it couldn't hurt to investigate."

"It could hurt. It absolutely could hurt." Mothma hesitated, "But I supposed as long as you're careful...we would be remiss to ignore this lead." She turned to them, head held high. "Don't let it distract from your primary mission, Fulcrum, but follow this as far as you deem wise. Venus, I'll need you here, but you can help whenever possible." She glanced between them, a small smile appearing on her face. "I'm glad you're both here. We need all the hands we can get."

Ahsoka glanced up at Padme with a mischievous glint in her eye, "I'm glad too."

* * *

Note: Thank you for reading!


	6. The Opposition

The Opposition

The shift began moments after he authorized the attack on Alderaan. It was small, almost imperceptible, so he ignored it. There were a number of shifts everyday. Almost all disappeared into the void, correcting itself or not causing any real consequences. The few that became something more almost always worked to his advantage, the death of a would-be traitor, the murder of the mother of a future rebel, the abandonment of a young boy a few years to early. This one would most likely be inconsequential, insignificant.

But then it began to grow, laced with darkness but glimmering deep within there was something else. A spark of sickeningly bright light, buzzing in the back of his mind, subtly threatening his plans.

Sheev Palpatine was patient. It had always been his strong suit. He had no issue with allowing others to carry out parts of his plans because there was always a contingency. There had been a thousand ways his Empire could have been born, a thousand variables. Destiny, the destiny he had written himself over thirty years ago, was steadfast. The path could be...malleable.

But this...seed, warping his plot to its very core but without visible consequences for the moment, was truly a threat.

It grew, spreading further as his apprentice took a fruitless journey to Tatooine and came up empty handed. As he took the foolish Organa's captive but their seemingly insignificant child escaped. As Ahsoka Tano appeared for one blazing moment in the tapestry only to disappear, to the same hole that Kenobi and Yoda had vanished to five years ago.

It was improbable, impossible for fate to be so unsettled so quickly. He had anticipated shifts in the fabric of his plan from the beginning but never this dire. There were so many moving portions, even someone as brilliant as himself could not calculate every possible narrative. But some things remained the same. Some things were written by the Fates themselves.

Amidala and Kenobi had always been potential threats to his plan, in some ways as important to the course of his empire as Skywalker. One wrong move from either could have deemed fatal to his empire, still in its infancy. Amidala had started to get a little too close for comfort to his political indiscretions, but he had counted on her affection for her old friend to cloud her judgement. He almost wished that Skywalker had fallen for a less opinionated and determined attachment, but Sidious could not afford to be picky. Her will had made her surprisingly difficult to manipulate. If she had been born Force sensitive, she could have been a power wielder of the Dark Side. But nevertheless it was not her he needed. The most exposed of all of Skywalker's emotions was his love for Amidala. It was not difficult for Sidious to manipulate Skywalker's loyalty to Amidala, beginning a descent into obsession. The boy had been already halfway there, although his prodding had done a great deal of the leg work. It was incredible that Jedi had yet to discover it, but they had been far too clouded, a mirage of his own design, to note the twisting attachments of their Chosen One. All he needed was to keep them separated, feeding the boy's resentment of the Jedi.

And he succeeded. As Amidala took her last breaths, Vader took his first. As weak as she was in the Force, she had vanished into the netherworld, so deep even _he_ could not sense her.

Kenobi was another matter. The cockroach lived somewhere in the galaxy. His very existence threatened his plans, but he was not convinced that Kenobi was the cause of this disturbance. The man had almost as conflicted as Skywalker at times. In another life, Kenobi would have been an excellent candidate for his empire too. Kenobi loved as deeply as the boy and could act just as rashly. The moments after Duchess Kryze was killed he felt Kenobi's power spike in the Dark Side. Anytime Kenobi faced Maul he had been filled with delicious, intoxicating darkness. It was a testament to his self-control that he had remained loyal to his foolish beliefs. If Palpatine did not despise him so much, he might actually admire him.

But Kenobi had been taken by the Jedi far too early and was fully indoctrinated into the beliefs of the Order. He pushed down the rage as any cowardly Jedi would do and continued to mourn his lover. Of course, Kenobi's devotion to the Order only served his purposes. Kenobi's loyalty to Skywalker was only matched by his blind faith in the Jedi Order. For all his declaration of caring for the boy, Kenobi had been the one to push Skywalker over the edge, the creator of the very thing he had vowed to destroy.

Kenobi's direct threat to his Empire was minimal. He was a pathetic, broken old man serving an ancient Order Palpatine had easily crushed. The only possible danger he posed was his connection to Skywalker.

He sought out his apprentice through the Force, yanking harshly at the bond between them. It seemed undisturbed, if somewhat colder. He expected it had to do with Lord Vader's sojourn to his home world and reminder of Anakin Skywalker. It would fade in time. His grip on the boy's mind was too powerful to be challenged, even by some shift in the Force.

Sidious spread out further, trying once more to sense the enemies that still lied in wait. Kenobi and Yoda still evaded him, and now apparently Tano was a player again.

He had not disparaged when Skywalker had taken the girl as an apprentice, nor when she had proved to be much less open to manipulation than the others. The more attachments Skywalker had, the easier it was to poison them. She was supposed to be a fleeting link the Jedi, one more reason for Skywalker to resent that idiotic Order.

The scenario he orchestrated was foolproof. He planted seeds to of doubt and guilt into the Padawan's mind, the normal insecurities a child of her age should experience. He pushed Offee over the edge, although she had already fallen far before his gentle nudging. He had influenced the Jedi to suspect Tano and persuaded them to think expulsion was the only option to insure justice. Tarkin, already in his pocket, was not difficult to manipulate. And even Skywalker's thoughts were twisted to act rashly but still hide his doubt from the Jedi, one more step towards the end. Just like always, Sidious was in complete control. And no one had a clue. She was supposed to burn out, brightly and quickly, but was never a real threat. She may have appeared again as a rebel, only a mere thorn in his side. Somehow she was back in the story, forcing her way into his plans again. But she was older now which could either help or hinder him.

But no matter. Tano was insignificant. There was something else that ate at his mind.

There was one thing Darth Sidious feared and it was what was just beyond his vision. While he had never practiced to the degree that Mace Windu had, he was gifted with the ability to see shatterpoints, moments of change and important in fate. But there was something just out of reach, behind a curtain in the Force, invisible to all, not just him.

He feared that it was the end of his reign, the destruction of everything he had fought to achieve. It was the only thing left uncertain to his plan, what he could not see. The only variable left unchecked. It was why his plan was so exact, so certain, but still so flexible if the moment called for it.

The clones had been immensely useful, but if something had gone wrong, the entire Separatist droid army was lying in wait. Skywalker's fall had been brilliantly executed, if he did say so himself, but Maul was still in option if the unthinkable were to occur. Maul was willful but still the same boy he had trained. He would obey if necessary. The Clone War itself had gone perfectly, as had the Trade Federation blockade that installed him in power, but he could have been patient. He could have waited out the end longer. The Jedi's fall would happen eventually, even if he had not drawn them into a war and forced them to compromise their values. They were weak. Their doom was inevitable, just like his reign.

Since he had pledged himself to his master and the Dark Side all those years ago, there had not been a disturbance this powerful. It rocked him to his core. For the first time, he felt real worry linger in his cold, dead heart.

It was time to close ranks. Time to keep those he trusted close to his chest and those he questioned at arms reach. Vader seemed loyal enough, but that idotic boy had always teetered on the edge, walking the line between light and dark. If there was some imminent change, then Vader's loyalty might be at risk. But, as powerful as he was, the boy was replaceable; he would never dare to defy him openly. Their bond indicated nothing out of the ordinary, but he was beginning to question him own powers in these uncertain times. Vader, he reasoned, could be trusted to continue with regular duties, but his more..._sensitive_ projects would have to be kept a secret.

Sidious knew what this all meant. Whatever he was missing was rising. Whatever that was just out of sight had come into the story. Something was beginning. And he did not like not knowing.

….

Far across the galaxy, Master Yoda felt the shift as well. To him, deeply immersed in the Force filled landscape of Dagobah, the shift nearly knocked him off his feet.

The Force flowed freely through the planet, making it both the perfect and most dangerous hiding place he could have chosen. But the tides that swept through Dagobah were not dark like Moraban or Korriban or light like Ahch-To or Illum. It was the perfect balance, neither light nor dark, but just...the Force. The Force in its purest form. The living Force.

Yoda had never been gifted with the sight, not like some of his friends and colleagues had been over the last nine hundred years. His perceived talent at predicting the future was merely a side effect of his age. If you live long enough you see the same eyes in different people. History tends to repeat itself and Yoda thought he had seen it all.

Until Palpatine. Until he discovered that everything he and the other Jedi thought they had seen through the Force was wrong. An incredibly powerful mirage, that was only dropped when Sidious knew he was almost there. He had allowed others to do his dirty work, Yoda knew, because he had not been strong enough to keep the shadow over the Jedi' eyes and fight his opponents himself.

Sidious was the antithesis of everything Master Yoda had fought to preserve in his expansive life.

And he had won. His friends, his students, his family had fallen. He had seen the triumph of the sith in a grand way. He wondered if this was what the Jedi of old had felt, those who had seen the first ride of the sith, who had struggled to survive in the darkest of times, who had fought for their own freedom as much as the galaxy's; like they had been swallowed up, like the ground beneath them had disappeared, like the core of the universe had fallen off its axis.

But the tides were shifting. The sands of time, so long steady, were beginning to stray. It was not a cascade that would have happened in another life, but a small change in trajectory, in velocity, in momentum. For the first time in Yoda could not tell how long, the Light was gaining on the Dark.

As much as he longed to return to the galaxy, to witness his change with his own eyes, the Force whispered to stay in his place. His isolation was required for just a little time longer.

So he waited and he listened, for the day when the Light Side would sing once more.


	7. Old Friends and New

Part 2: Life Goes On

Old Friends and New

Rex downed the glass in one. In the old days that would have gotten him a smattering of applause and a judgemental look from Cody, now all it gave him was a headache.

The alcohol numbed the pain and blurred the images. He couldn't see Jesse's emotionless face with a gun pointed at Tano's head when he was drunk. He couldn't feel Fives's hand in his as he died. He couldn't grasp enough at his thoughts to wonder how his general had died, which of his men had gunned him down.

He _had_ to get off Seelos for his own sanity. Wolffe's depression and Gregor's limited rationality were getting to be a bit too much. He would be back in a few days but for now he was basking in the glow of anonymity. For the moment he could just be another nameless poor soul in this bar on some backwater outer rim planet.

The planet he had gone to actually had an old safehouse he had helped set up in the war for clones who had been MIA and needed to find their way back. He had known too many men accidently left behind, alive, on missions that needed somewhere safe to lie low before pickup. Much less legitimate than official Republic waystations and bases but considered just as important to the old guard. Since he wasn't actively being tracked staying there shouldn't be a problem.

Rex limped out of the bar, pull his hat low over his eyes. He had gotten pretty lax about hiding his identity since Seelos was so barren and the Empire had given up on finding deserted clones. There was really nothing left to fight for.

The safehouse was a few clicks outside of town, in a small, mostly abandoned village. His speeder bike was coming in and out of focus as he walked towards but he kept moving, relishing in the brief relief the alcohol had brought him. Rex swung one leg over the speeder and hoped ungracefully on the others for a few seconds to try and get his balance.

_Woah...maybe I had more than I thought. _

He gurgled, amused his own incoherency as he dragged himself on the speeder bike.

"Vroom, vroom." Rex mumbled, a lazy smile spreading across his lips. "Oh no." His eyes widened as he looked down and saw the speeder was still stationary. "That's not supposed to happen."

With very little control over his limbs, his placed a heavy foot on the ignition and pressed. The speeder bike shot forward at full speed into the wall.

That last thing he saw was his own face peered down at his, amusement gleaming his eyes.

"All right, _vod_?" Rex's face asked.

"Mmmmm." He hummed. "Hiyah Cody." Rex giggled.

And then he fell asleep.

…..

_Ow_, was Rex's first thought when he came to again. His head was throbbing and his wrist felt like it was on fire.

The entire last night was a blur, but he knew he wasn't on Seelos anymore. Ossus maybe? Or Celanon? Somewhere in the outer rim, he thought. He had drunk _way_ too much, more than he had since he lost Fives and then...had he crashed his speeder bike? And run into another clone? Ha! Wouldn't that just be perfect? Drunk off his ass and in the custody of some no-good-crazy-Imperial-mind-controlled bucket head.

He opened his eyes a crack to be assaulted by the glare of sunlight leaking through the roof. He was in one of his ramshackle safehouses, that's for sure. No self-respecting being would voluntarily live in a hole like this. The safehouse network was built with about four credits and roughly fifteen pissed off clone leaders, most of which were dead now. But whoever had taken him there was not dead but high ranking enough to know the exact location of the safehouse. Also they hadn't killed him or taken him away yet so they probably weren't Imperial. That narrowed it down a lot. It couldn't be Woffle or Gregor, the most obviously choices because both of them refused to leave Seelos. There was a slim chance it was Echo or Kix, but both of them were declared dead at the end of the war. Then again, Echo had come back before so he wouldn't put it past him.

Rex tried to push himself up but was met with a blinding headache. The hangover was strong in this one.

"Woah, slow down, _vod_." His own, inexplicably accented, voice said gently.

He tilted his to try to get a better glimpse of the dark haired figure beside him. Rex froze as he caught sight of the distinctive scar stretching along the stranger's right eye.

"Cody," He choked.

His friend smiled, "It's good to see you too, Rex."

"How are you-"

Cody tapped the side of his head. While hair had regrown over it, Rex could see the subtle evidence of a small scar stretching along his skull.

"You took the chip out." Rex said softly. He leapt to his feet, ready to embrace his brother...and then immediately fell back down again.

"You always drink like that?" Cody asked gruffly.

"It numbs the pain." He said absentmindedly, rubbing his finger against his temple.

If he had looked up he would have seen Cody's stricken face mirroring his own, but he did not.

"How'd you find me?" He asked finally.

"Took me longer than I thought. I think I checked every safehouse in the galaxy, including this one." Cody said dubiously. "Where have you been hiding?"

"I've been on Seelos with Wolffe and Gregor. I only came here to let off some steam. There's no alcohol on that wasteland, other than the shit Gregor has been trying to make himself." He grimaced, "Probably why my tolerance is so kriffing low. Seelos is off the grid and no one cares about it. Kind of like me." He muttered bitterly.

Cody sighed, Rex's final words not lost on him. "I've got a mission." He said bluntly, unwilling to get into whatever was going on in his batchmate's head at the moment. "And I need your help."

"I don't know if, you'd noticed, _friend_. But I don't do that anymore." He gestured to the broken down shack around him. "This is the best I've got at the moment."

"This is different." Cody pursed his lips. "I've got a lead on the chips."

Rex snorted out of spite. "We had a lead. It died with Fives and then again with Kix. That damn mission is a death warrant."

"Wouldn't you rather go out fighting for what you believe in instead of out here alone?"

"I've got Wolffe and Gregor."

Cody gave him a look.

The Captain sighed, "I see your point. But that doesn't mean anything. What made you take it out in the first place? I thought that once it was activated there was no going back."

He shuddered. "It wasn't exactly my choice, but that's not the point. I've got a real, actual lead. And not about how they work or what they do. How to shut them down...all of them."

Rex's eyes brightened a fraction. "A mass shutdown code? Is that even possible?"

Cody shrugged. "Couldn't hurt to try, couldn't it?"

He raised an eyebrow. "It definitely could. And do you really think that everyone would just defect once their chips deactivated?"

"I'm not saying there won't be some who still want to be loyal to the Empire, but there are plenty of good men left in the Imperial army, our men, our guys." Cody paused, deliberating how to go on. "Your chip wasn't activated when you removed it. Mine was. Removing it...it felt like coming up for fresh air, like everything made sense again. Like I had been in a fog for five years and I could finally see clearly. I know that if our men still have some decency left in them, they'll make the right choice, to stop the man who took away their free will."

Rex stared at him and then cleared his throat. "It's been a long time since I heard you talk like that. I thought...I thought I would never hear you _feel_ again." He smirked. "Not that you felt a lot _before_, Mr. Walking Clone Trooper Manual."

"I take offense to that. That stereotype was never accurate."

"I know. Just compared to me and Skywalker, you and Kenobi were the model soldiers." He stiffened at his mention of their generals, but shook it off. "Not that it was true. You guys were often more reckless than we were."

"Apparently you and I remember the war very differently."

…

Ahsoka crept along the edge of the bar, keeping her physical presence to a minimum. She had noticed the presence immediately after she landed, gleaming just out of view. They were shielding. After spending so much time with Luke and Leia, who apparently had extremely powerful natural shield reinforced by years of Obi-wan and Yoda's Force bubbles encompassing them, she had grown accustomed with sensing strongly shielded beings through the Force. If you looked closer at the twins or they trusted you, you could see their strong presence in the light side beating a steady tempo. This being was different. Still clearly shielded, but there was little beneath it, like they were avoiding the Force altogether.

Shields only worked effectively if you weren't looking for something or you didn't know they were there. Ahsoka had scanned the planet the moment she arrived for familiar signatures, namely Obi-wan and Bail. Even though logic told her Obi-wan was probably dead, there was still a part of her that couldn't accept it.

The hunt for Bail and Breha was ongoing. She had followed Watchman's lead, with Padme in her ear, across the galaxy, but had yet to get a clean shot of the transport mentioned in their message. They had looked for two months and it felt like she was still at square one. Their apparently trustworthy source in the Empire hadn't been able to give them anymore information on the subject, leaving Padme to pull her hair out and Ahsoka to rub at her Lekku.

Ahsoka whipped her head towards the anguish reverberating through the Force. Everyone in the bar had some sort of strong emotion that they were trying to numb with alcohol. This one figure had far more than the others. The Force amplifies the emotions of a Jedi. This man seemed to be in an inbetween stage of drunkenness for a Force user. His shields were slipping but he had yet to completely nullify his connection to the Force. The worst place to be in but the best place to find someone in.

She moved slowly towards him.

_A Jedi should not be this easy to sneak up on_, Ahsoka thought bitterly.

In one motion she grabbed his arm, yanked him up, and escorted him smoothing out the back entrance of the bar.

"Who are you?" She asked clearly, dropping his body like a ragdoll.

"Wha-d-yer-wanh?" He slurred.

Ahsoka froze as she took him in completely. The dim light in the bar had masked much of features, only revealed under the three moons of whatever rock she had ended up on this time. She had lost track.

He was young. Too young. Maybe too young to be drinking. Definitely too young to be drinking this heavily. He was in his late teens so if he was a Jedi, and that theory was fading fast, he would have had to be a young Padawan or an old initiate during Order 66. The kid was tall, probably taller than her even with her Lekku. Despite what the Force was screaming at her, he didn't seem like a Jedi at first.

She almost wrote him off, some kid the Order missed when he was the right age or whose parents hadn't wanted him to join, but then she met his eyes. Even addled by the alcohol, he was on guard. He had the look of someone who had been through a war. Someone who had spent a good portion of his life always checking behind his back. They weren't the eyes of any Jedi she had known, but they hadn't survived Order 66. Except Obi-wan. She recognized the same thing in him.

"I'll ask again, who are you?" She growled, pulling him up to her level.

"I'm...I'm Kanan Jarrus." He gurgled. "Kind of."

She dropped him again. He flopped down with a thud.

"That's a lie."

His face contorted. "I know."

Ahsoka sighed, he was too drunk to remember anyways. "I'm Ahsoka Tano."

His eyes widened in recognition. "Ah-Ahsoka...Padawan Tano?" His voice was clearer as he spoke her name. He immediately sobered. A gift and a curse of the Jedi. "You...you're alive."

Her heart lifted as hope spread out of him through the Force.

"I am. Have we met?"

He nodded, still staring at her in awe. "I am...I was Caleb Dume. I was taken as Master Billaba's padawan just after you left." He swallowed, his former master's name stiff in his throat. "But we-"

"We once sparred together, during one of my last meditation retreats on Coruscant during the war." The memory returned to her little by little. "You were talented. You needed to learn fluidity and not to rely on one form, but you were good for your age. I remember there was some discourse about who you were going to choose as a master because you were so sought after."

Kanan blushed, "It wasn't a big deal. And besides," He cleared his throat, "That was a long time ago."

"Doesn't mean we should forget it."

He hesitated, scanning her up and down. "What are you doing here?"

"Working a lead. What are _you _doing here?"

"Trying to forget the past." He said.

"Not the most fun." She pointed towards the door to the bar. "Especially with that tactic."

Kanan's face tightened. "And what do you suggest, Padawan Tano?"

"I'm not a Padawan." She snapped. "But I do have a helpful suggestion."

Ahsoka was interrupted by her communication device beeping. Unworried about Kanan blabbing to the Empire, she allowed the image to appear.

"Fulcrum, we've received another transmission from Watchman." Padme Amidala's likeness appeared on the holoreceiver. "Oh, you have company." She said sharply.

Ahsoka waved her hand. "Oh, don't worry about him. He's a Jedi."

"Not anymore," Kanan groaned, still sitting on the ground.

She rolled her eyes, "Ignore him, he's a new recruit. You know how they are."

Kanan shot up. "No, I'm not!"

"Whatever," Padme said, "Watchman reported ship movements in your sector."

"This is what? The ninth transmission in the last month? Haven't they been caught yet?

Padme sighed, "They haven't led us wrong yet. And apparently the higher-ups haven't picked up on anything yet. You need to get out of there. Rendez-vous back here."

"Mommy! Is that Aunt Ashla?" A little voice called.

"Shhh, Leia, not right now. Mommy's working."

Ahsoka laughed, "It's alright, Venus. Tell them I said hi and I'll be there soon. Anything else?"

"Oh, only to try to pick up some meiloorun fruit while you're in the Gaulus Sector. It's always fresher there. See you soon, Fulcrum. Venus out."

The transmission cut out into pure silence.

"You want me to join what exactly?" Kanan asked.

"The Rebellion of course." Ahsoka replied nonchalantly, clipping her comm back onto her belt.

"Kriff...the rebellion?" Kanan grimaced. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"It's just...I can barely keep myself alive and that's without running into firefights every day. The Empire is evil definitely, but I don't...I don't think I can do that again. The Clone War…" He paled. "I never want to experience that again."

"I understand." She really did. "But by not doing anything you're letting the Empire win."

Kanan scoffed. "What good can a bunch of poorly funded rebels really do against the Empire?"

"Not much." Ahsoka admitted. "At least not now, but if we do nothing now, we'll never do anything. Standing by and letting the Empire destroy everything good in the galaxy would be a betrayal of my master's memory and everything he stood for. I don't fight to change things, even though I believe we will eventually, I fight so that the Empire doesn't change me."

The kid's brow furrowed and then released. He glanced up at Ahsoka, finally drawing himself to his full height.

"I'm in."


End file.
